Tylorstown fire: Crews tackle workingmen's club blaze

Wayne Carter smoke rising in the skyWayne Carter
A Working Men's Club and Institute was first established in Tylorstown in 1882

About 40 firefighters are tackling a large blaze in a former workingmen's club.

The fire broke out in the derelict club in East Road, Tylorstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, at about 17:10 GMT.

The first and second floors of the four-storey building, which dates back to 1882, are said to be well alight.

The A4233 has been closed in both directions and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reports of any injuries.

Six fire crews have been sent to the incident along with an aerial ladder platform and two water bowsers.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales called the 19th Century building "a particularly important building type in the south Wales coalfield, the Institutes were a focus for enlightenment in new mining communities".