Fire alarm saves Ipswich Museum, in Charles Street, as blaze spreads between floors

A historic town building may have been lost to a fire if its alarm had not been working, according to a spokesperson for the service.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service was called to an automatic fire alarm at the storeroom of Ipswich Museum, in Charles Street, last night.

Upon arrival, crews found that a fire had broken out in the electrical intake of the property and had spread to the void between the ground and first floor levels.

A spokesperson for the fire service said there was damage to the ceiling of the building, but the artefacts were not affected.

They said: “Had the building not had a working automatic fire alarm, the fire would have gone unnoticed for a considerable time and the building would probably have been lost.”

Firefighters isolated the electricity supply to the property and removed part of the ceiling to access the fire.

UK Power Networks also attended the scene.

Fire crews used breathing equipment and hose reel jets to extinguish the blaze.

A stop was called at 8.31pm.