A police cordon remains in place in Builth Wells as work continues at the site of a fire which tore through a residential property.

Emergency services descended upon Lion Lane in the market town in the early hours of Sunday morning, October 3, as plumes of smoke were seen above the area.

A woman who works in Builth, but who did not want to be named, said the community is “in shock’ but relieved that nobody was seriously hurt following the fire.

She said: “I only tend to be in town in the day so I didn’t see it while it was happening, but there have been vehicles out there all the time today - utility company vehicles - as well as police.

“I saw police at the bottom of the lane in one of their cars although I couldn’t see a cordon.

“I’m just relived nobody was hurt or killed to be honest or that it wasn’t worse - if the wind had caught it, I think it could have easily spread to other buildings further down.”

The woman added that she feels the presence of utility vehicles - such as gas and electricity - as well as police will likely cause disruption in the town.

Dyfed-Powy Police, which has arrested a pensioner in connection with the fire, has warned motorists to avoid the area while investigations are ongoing- it also confirmed that the buildings affected by the fire have been cordoned off for safety reasons.

Dyfed-Powys Police announced that it had arrested a 66-year-old on suspicion of arson on Monday, October 4.

The force, which is investigating the fire on Lion Lane said that it is not looking for anybody else in connection with the blaze at this stage.

While the ambulance service attended the incident, along with the Mid and West Wales Fire and Recur Service, it is thought that nearby residents to the building were badly shaken but “okay”.

It is also understood that the fire did cause damage by spreading to neighbouring properties on Lion Lane.

The force has confirmed that a cordon remains in place at the building which is currently “structurally unsafe” as officers are preserving evidence at the scene.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said: “Enquiries are continuing into the fire which occurred at a property in Lion Lane, Builth Wells in the early hours of Sunday, October 3 2021.

“An initial assessment of the property has been carried out which suggests that the building is currently structurally unsafe and work may be needed to make it safe to enter whilst preserving evidence at the scene.

“Police and fire officers will then carry out a joint investigation to establish the cause of the fire.

“Officers and PCSOs will continue with scene preservation duties and cordons will remain in place for several days whilst enquiries are ongoing. However every effort will be made to minimise any disruption.

“Members of the public are advised to avoid the area while work is undertaken at the property.”

It is not known whether the investigation at Lion Lane - which is near one of the entrances to Builth off the A483 around where Castle Street and Broad Street join - will impact traffic visiting the town.

A spokesman from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said that it is working closely with police to investigate the fire at the residential property.

He said: “Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service can confirm that multiple crews attended to a residential property fire at Lion Lane, Builth Wells shortly after midnight on Sunday 3rd October 2021.

“Welsh Ambulance Service and Dyfed-Powys Police were also in attendance. Fire crews were at the scene for several hours and MAWWFRS are now working closely with Dyfed-Powys Police in relation to this incident.”

On the night of the incident, there were delays in the area to drivers using the A470 and the A483 around Builth Wells as the roads were closed during the ongoing incident.

Around 2.20am on Sunday, Traffic Wales took to Twitter to warn motorists that the road was closed in both directions - it is understood that the High Street officially re-opened later on Sunday morning.

Anybody with information about the fire should contact Dyfed-Powys Police reference DP-202111003-003:

- Phone: Call 101

- Text: Text the non-emergency number 07811 311 908 if you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired.

- Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting the Crimestoppers website by clicking here.