Scores of firefighters called to Welsh town as shops gutted by large blaze

A major fire broke out at a town centre charity shop in Abergavenny on the evening of 10 November 2024, leading to evacuations from several nearby properties.

At its height, around 100 firefighters and 14 fire appliances attended the incident at The Magic Cottage Charity Shop, with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) utilising four water bowsers, two aerial appliances, and a high-volume pump to tackle the flames. Additional support came from Mid and West Wales, Hereford and Worcester, and Gloucester Fire and Rescue Services.

Around 12 residents from three neighbouring properties were evacuated to the local leisure centre while firefighters dealt with the blaze. In a statement, Gwent Police said: “Three households were evacuated at the time, and Abergavenny Leisure Centre in Old Hereford Road was set up as a reception centre for those impacted.

Emergency services remain at the scene and the public are advised to avoid the immediate area and continue to close windows and doors due to the smoke.

Firefighters spent several hours bringing the incident under control and confirmed that they would remain at the scene. As reported by BBC News, a number of buildings were significantly damaged and destroyed in the fire including the charity shop. SWFRS said:

"The fire has caused extensive damage to the building causing a collapse to the first and second floors, and roof of the building, and crews working arduously to prevent further spread to neighbouring properties.”

"Cordons remain in place within the vicinity of the incident, and we ask the public to continue to avoid the area. We would like to express our best wishes to the businesses affected by the fire, and we will endeavour to allow the area to return to business as usual as soon as practically possible.

"We will work closely with GWP CSI to determine the cause, origin, and to understand how the fire developed, and until a thorough fire investigation has been carried out, we are unable to confirm any of these details.”

On Facebook, the fire service posted: “We would like to thank the community for their cooperation during the incident, as well as our operational fire crews who worked tirelessly to bring the incident to a safe close.”

 

(Photograph by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service)