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A lack of water supplies led to a dozen fire appliances being used

About 60 firefighters have spent the night tackling a blaze at a builders' merchant in the Cynon Valley.

At one point, the electricity supply to Cwmbach in Aberdare was cut off due to the size of the fire at Mendhams store.

No-one was injured, although there were fears for fire crews about a number of gas canisters inside the building.

Eyewitnesses said the flames could be seen for several miles around in south Wales after the alarm was raised at around 2100 BST on Thursday.

South Wales Fire Service said a lack of water supplies in the area meant 12 fire appliances were needed at the height of the blaze.

Divisional officer Lyndon Moreton, who was in charge of the operation, said: "The fire was already well established with the building well alight.

Flammable materials made the fire more intense

"Due to the nature of the business, there was a large amount of combustible and flammable materials within the building which added to the intensity of the fire.

"There were also a number of propane cylinders situated throughout the premises which posed a further problem and risk."

Andrew Chainey, who runs a video production company in Aberdare, said the blaze was a big blow for the local community.

'Ashes'

He said: "We were concerned because our friend works there. He has lost all his tools, and vehicle.

"The owners of the place were devastated. It's been a family business in this valley for as long as I can remember.

"It's very upsetting to see a local business, locally-owned and locally-run, employing lots of local people, go up in flames like that.

"I just hope something good comes from the ashes and they can start again because they have served the community well."

An investigation has begun into the cause.