Overview
- Emergency services were called at about 3:22am on 27 January to a ground-floor flat at Perches House off Castle Street in Shrewsbury town centre.
- A woman in her 80s was pronounced dead at the scene and was named locally as Rose Roberts, while a man was assessed by paramedics and declined hospital treatment.
- A critical incident was declared as police, fire and ambulance crews evacuated residents, established a cordon and deployed up to ten fire appliances including an aerial ladder platform.
- Shropshire Council has implemented safety measures around the site, keeping part of Windsor Place closed, creating a pedestrian route, adjusting traffic flow and arranging scaffolding to secure the façade.
- Authorities have set up an emergency contact number for families of evacuees and Historic England has offered specialist advice, as tributes note the Grade II-listed building’s cultural significance.