A FIRE in a downpipe sparked fears of a blaze in the roof of Ipswich library and forced the evacuation of the building.The fire took hold just before 2.50pm

A FIRE in a downpipe sparked fears of a blaze in the roof of Ipswich library and forced the evacuation of the building.

The fire took hold just before 2.50pm on Saturday after a discarded cigarette set rubbish at the bottom of the downpipe alight and the flames spread to inside the pipe, where there had been a build-up of leaves and rubbish.

Passers-by saw smoke coming from the top of the downpipe, at the front of the library, which they thought was coming from inside the roof.

Firefighters were called and the top of Upper Brook Street was sealed off as they accessed the roof and checked the building.

For the full story see Monday's Evening Star.