ON the evening of October 8, 1984, a horrendous fire swept through one of Pill's most distinctive buildings.
Fire crews descended on Liverpool House, a three story building on the corner of Commercial Road and Potter Street, battling through the night to bring the flames under control.
Many residents had to flee their homes, with some walking to safety and others rescued as the fire spread to a nearby lodging house.
Around 40 firefighters battled the blaze with one crew member treated by ambulance at the scene.
When these photographs were taken by the Argus, part of Commercial Road was blocked off and surveyors were considering whether the building was safe.
An eye witness, Stephen Zelechowski, described seeing smoke at 11.50pm. He said: " I came out of the King's Arms just up the road. There was smoke, and all of a sudden it just went up, burst into flames."
Homes in Potter Street and Commercial Road were evacuated with residents staying in Pill Community Centre.
Liverpool House was once and impressive department store specialising in clothes and tailoring, curtains and material. It later became a sewing factory.
In 1984 Liverpool House occupied the same block as John's Garage, an engineering works and the rear of Handiland used for storage,
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