The owners of the Kings Langley building that caught fire yesterday (January 30) have revealed the devastation it wrought.

Sebastien Domb had been driving into the village at 2.05pm when he saw the large commercial building, Langley Wharf in Railway Terrace, which he owns along with his parents Melanie and Peter, was “covered in smoke”.

“I realised that it was no bonfire, then I realised it was our building that was on fire,” the Kings Langley resident told the Watford Observer.

“What I was thinking was nothing you could print in a newspaper, just how much of a headache it would be, how much disruption it will cause to everyone, all the businesses…”

Mr Domb was managing the family’s properties in the area while his parents were on holiday in Kenya. With all the units that make up the building rented out to businesses there is usually little involvement needed in Langley Wharf.

He added: “Communicating over the phone was quite stressful, everyone was flapping, didn’t know what to do… and at the same time I was trying to contact them and tell them what going on.”

Watford Observer: The Shagun Weddings unit following the fire.The Shagun Weddings unit following the fire. (Image: Sebastien Domb)

Herts Fire and Rescue sent 12 fire engines to the scene after being called at around 1.55pm and found a commercial unit within the building “well alight”.

A spokesperson said: “Firefighters searched the site to make sure everyone was safely accounted for and the fire had not spread to other units.

“During the course of the afternoon and evening crews worked hard to contain and extinguish the fire, which was all out shortly after midnight.

Watford Observer: The fire, in Langley Wharf.

“Nobody was injured, and the fire is believed to have started accidentally.”

Mr Domb shared that it was the Shagun Weddings warehouse which had caught light and provided pictures of the now completely destroyed unit.

The property developer added that asbestos from the roof has now been left covering the area as a result of the blaze and the walls of multiple units were judged to have suffered structural damage when engineers assessed the building today.

He said that the next steps will depend on the response from the insurance company but will involve a clear-up of any asbestos, and scaffolding or steel supports are likely to be necessary to make the building safe.

The owner said he has spoken with Shagun Weddings (which supplies décor and other services for Indian ceremonies) and, so soon after the blaze, “everyone was just so glad no one was hurt”.

Businesses based out of the building have also highlighted how much worse it could have been if it started at night.

Watford Observer: The Shagun Weddings unit following the fire.The Shagun Weddings unit following the fire. (Image: Sebastien Domb)

“If it wasn’t spotted for half an hour or so, it would have been an absolute disaster,” Mr Domb added.

He revealed that the cars kept by JZM Porsche at the site which could have been destroyed if the fire spread to other units are worth around £58million.

Railway Terrace was shut in both directions to allow emergency services to respond to the fire yesterday, it reopened this morning.