Bristol building fire sends black smoke plume over city

The fire led to residents being evacuated from their homes

Emergency services are on the scene of a fire in a disused building in Bristol.

Avon Fire and Rescue were called at 19:52 BST on Sunday with reports of a fire in the old Cooperative FuneralCare building near Church Road, Redfield.

The service said the building was "well alight" with flames coming from the roof.

They said six fire engines were in attendance, alongside police and ambulance services.

Drivers are being asked to avoid the A420, Church Rd, and locals are being told to keep their windows and doors closed.

Nearby homes and building have been evacuated as the fire service deal with the fire

They said there was no indication of casualties or reports of anyone missing and they are currently unsure of what caused the fire.

Nearby buildings and homes were evacuated as fire officers dealt with the incident.

Alongside others, Laura Hamilton was evacuated from her home

Laura Hamilton, who has been evacuated from her home, said: "I was cooking the tea and I looked out into my garden and saw some smoke coming out of the roof of the building which is behind of where I live."

"I called my daughter and told her to shut all the windows in the house. At the same time I called the fire brigade."

"It's really scary," she said.

Anna McMurtrie, who lives nearby said: "We're just standing here watching the building go up in flames"

Anna McMurtrie, who also lives nearby and was evacuated from her home, said within five minutes of her noticing the roof of the building was on fire, they had "fire brigade and police cordoning off the street".

"We're just standing here watching the building go up in flames but it's looking better than it was," she said.