Firefighters tackled a blaze at a building in Saffron Walden this morning (December 30) when flames were seen by shopkeepers in their basement.
Two crews from Saffron Walden attended the address at 13A King Street after being called by employees at Crew Clothing at just after 9am, who saw flames coming from their basement.
The fire was not in the basement of the retail outlet at 13 King Street, but was in the building next door at the site of the former Dish Restaurant, which is now part of the clothing store.
Four firefighters were sent into the building with breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera to extinguish the blaze, which was put out at 11.14am.
A ventilation fan was also used to clear the building of smoke.
Saffron Walden Fire Chief Paul Curtis said: “We were called by Crew Clothing who saw flames in their basement, but the fire was actually at the building next door. At this time, we don’t know how the fire started, but there is considerable structural damage to the building.”
Some debris from the building had been removed and placed outside as curious shoppers in town stopped to take a look.
Fire crews are set to revisit the shop later this afternoon to carry out further safety checks.
A sign put up outside the clothing store said that due to the fire damage it would be closed for the forseeable future.
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