Firefighters will join celebrations for official reopening of bathrooms showroom in Castleford after devastating blaze

Trade Bathroom and Tiles Ltd on Saville Road, which has been in business for 26 years, was gutted following the fire, which was triggered by a lithium battery in a tool that was charging overnight.

Owners Sandra and Paul Marchington said they would never forget that night, in April when they got the news of the blaze from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

“We received a call just after 1.30am from the fire brigade asking us to come down to the showroom” said Sandra.

“We live 15 minutes away and as we drove there we could see the smoke and flames. The end of the road was closed off and there were fire engines all over the place. They had cut the shutters to get into the building, and 50 of them were busy fighting the fire when we arrived.

“It was amazing to watch all the firefighters working together while we watched on, totally bewildered. I’ve got two daughters and to think these people were going into a burning building just got to me.”

Sandra said it was that afternoon when crews managed to get the fire under control, and they left the site at 7pm. Sandra said: “We were told 100 per cent of the building was affected and so we knew nothing could be salvaged.

“You could see a scorch mark which had started in one area and this was definitely the hottest spot. We were told it was the workshop, where we have rechargeable tools. When the fire was out the firefighters actually found the component that had caused the fire – it was unbelievable.”

After the fire Sandra and Paul put a plan in place, notifying customers and making sure every order was fulfilled.

“Our customers were fantastic and very understanding,” she said. “Since then we have taken it one day at a time and totally rebuilt the premises. We gutted the building, there was no roof or walls, but thankfully the brickwork was safe. My husband Paul has re-planned the whole showroom.”

The business now is set to celebrate its official opening which will be taking place all day on Saturday, February 11 where the public will be able to look around the new site.

Sandra said: “With the support and encouragement from family, friends, customers and of course hard work from our team we are excited to finally have the doors open and welcome the public back into our showroom.”

Firefighters from across the county tackled the blaze on April 28, 2022.

Dave Walton, West Yorkshire’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer, said: The fire at Trade Bathrooms was devastating, but it’s fantastic to see the business rebuilt. We all wish Paul and Sandra many more years of success.

“The public need to be aware of the dangers as lithium is highly flammable and particularly dangerous because of the batteries high energy density. People need to be careful when charging these batteries and to ensure they are recycled properly.”