STAFF at an English language school and neighbouring offices were evacuated after debris and dust in a two inch wide gap of wall cavity caught fire, leaving fire crews with a conundrum to extinguish the blaze.

STAFF at an English language school and neighbouring offices were evacuated after debris and dust in a two inch wide gap of wall cavity caught fire, leaving fire crews with a conundrum to extinguish the blaze.

The 10 employees, including some from Frisby's Home of English, congregated outside their offices as firefighters tried to find ways of putting out the flames in the narrow section of wall between Rasputin's bar and a neighbouring building in King Street, Great Yarmouth on Friday .

Although the fire was reported at 2.35pm, firefighters were still present at the scene some four-and-a-half hours later due to the complexity of the blaze.

Station manager Michael Hawkins, overseeing fire crews at the scene, said the debris and dust, along with some timber, had gathered over a period of time and had made it very difficult for firefighters to reach the blaze.

Attempts to douse the flames with water proved unsuccessful so the fire crews opted for a different strategy by drilling holes into the wall and pouring in a special foam which gets in nooks and crannies which are difficult to reach using conventional methods.

Mr Hawkins said: “It is nothing extraordinary that we would not normally do. It is just a very awkward area to get to and that is why it has taken some time.”

He believed the fire may have been caused during repair work to the roof of Rasputin's, but said the flames or smoke had not spread to the interior of the buildings.

Nobody was injured during the incident although a section of King Street was cordoned off and closed to traffic.