A body has been found after a fire ripped through an industrial estate in the south Welsh village of Treforest last night.
After an explosion was heard at 7pm, a fire broke out at a warehouse containing more than a dozen businesses on the Treforest Industrial Estate along Severn Road, Rhondda Cynon Taff.
Three people were treated by emergency services and the fire was fully extinguished.
But fears quickly grew that a person unaccounted for was buried under the rubble.
Police said today a person was located after a search of the site – formal identification has not yet been completed.
Officers are supporting the family of a person who had been missing.
Detective Superintendent Richard Jones of South Wales Police said police, fire officials and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating the cause of the fire.
‘Our thoughts are with the family of the missing person,’ he added.
‘Now that the fire has been brought under control, we will move to the investigative phase to find out what caused this explosion and subsequent fire.
‘Roads are gradually being re-opened although some roads and businesses in the area will still be affected.
‘I want to thank local residents and businesses for their patience and understanding while this incident is being dealt with.’
Photographs and footage suggest the blaze erupted out of Mindset Gym inside the two-storey Rizla House complex.
The 60,000 sq ft building has long been a hub for the local community, with everything from towel manufacturers and a telecoms company to a food laboratory packing its 13 commercial units.
Tattoo artist Lucy Artiss, 40, who works at Sixteen Circles in the block, said all her colleagues managed to make it safely out of the fire exit.
‘It was a lovely place, had a wonderful family feel to it,’ she said, ‘I’m gutted to have lost that.’
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