MOST businesses want to launch with a blaze of publicity but Cityoffices’ MD Thomas Ashdown got a bit more heat than he bargained for.

In the week he was launching his latest venture http://www.cityoffices.com/– a web portal for serviced office space, hotdesks, conference and meeting facilities- the serviced office complex where his online empire is based was the scene of a dramatic fire and rescue operation.

Lucky to escape unscathed following the fire around a gas valve in Landsdowne Crescent in Edinburgh, Thomas pondered: “It’s nerve wracking enough launching a new business without having to escape a burning building through smoke and flames.

“Funnily enough, when the fire alarm went off I was in a meeting with a client who turned out to be a retained firefighter. A bit of good luck which I hope augers well for Cityoffices’ future.”

There was more good news for Thomas when it was revealed the building didn’t have too much lasting damage. 

But Thomas added: “If we had needed to get new offices, at least we knew which web site to go to I suppose.”