tonypandyA major fire that swept through business units in the Rhondda Valley has now been extinguished thanks to the work 50 firefighters and 10 officers from South Wales Fire & Rescue Service.

A service spokeswoman said large explosions had caused the fire to rapidly spread to most of the 140-metre long building complex which contains a garage, a furniture business and four other businesses near Tonypandy.

The service last night [22 Sept] said it was working with the police to investigate the cause of the fire, which saw 9 fire engines from the Rhondda, 3 water bowsers, a hydro platform and an incident control unit deployed.

Having reportedly stared at 4.30pm, firefighters were able to control the blaze so that by 10.30pm, 12 factory units were affected by smoke and three units were said to be well alight before ultimately being put out at 3am.

Chief Fire Officer Huw Jakeway said his crews worked very hard and professionally “in extremely difficult conditions”.

Picture courtesy of www.southwales-fire.gov.uk