weekend fire caused smoke damage to its stock of designer garments.

Although the closure could not have come at a worse time, it has emerged that the entire Front Street building was just half an hour from burning down.

Cecile buyer/manager Julia Hamshere said the Fire Service told her that the landmark building would have been destroyed had firefighters arrived half an hour later.

A cleaner at Cecile discovered the building was smoke-logged at 4.45 a.m. on Saturday after a freezer at next door Bermuda Wines and Spirits allegedly caught fire.

Staff at Cecile were airing the expensive clothes yesterday to see if any could be sold, while meetings were taking place with the company's insurers.

More than $100,000 of the clothes are too smoke damaged to be sold in their current state.

Ms Hamshere told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "We have been forced to close our doors which is a huge tragedy in the week before Christmas. It really could not have happened at a worse time, but it could have been even worse.

Fire closes shop "It is one of those old wooden Bermuda buildings with several shops separated by light partitions.

"It's a huge building, like a rabbit warren, and it could have been very serious with the entire building going up in a matter of seconds.

"Our cleaner called me to say the shop was filled with smoke and we got him to call the Fire Department. According to the Fire Department, it was half an hour away from the entire building going up.

"There is no obvious damage to my shop, but the smoke entered the building and went into the carpet and clothes and we can't sell them in the state they are in.

"We've taken some of the clothing out to try to air it and we are trying to come with a solution so the clothing is saleable.''