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Co-op fire: Shoppers evacuated from Gillingham store | Co-op fire: Shoppers evacuated from Gillingham store |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Shoppers had to be evacuated from a Co-op store in Dorset after a "major" fire broke out. | |
Forty-two firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze at the shop in High Street, Gillingham, at about 17.50 BST on Saturday. | Forty-two firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze at the shop in High Street, Gillingham, at about 17.50 BST on Saturday. |
Fire officer Michael Cox from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, said it was believed the fire was sparked by a faulty freezer unit. | |
No-one was hurt in the blaze which destroyed half of the store, he said. | No-one was hurt in the blaze which destroyed half of the store, he said. |
Fire officer Cox said the store managers could smell burning coming from the back of the store. | |
'Place of safety' | |
"They couldn't spot anything but then after two or three minutes they reassessed and saw flames at the back of the store," he said. | |
"As soon as they've located that then they've done the right thing and evacuated everyone to a place of safety, got themselves out, and waited for the service to arrive." | |
The store suffered 100% smoke damage and 50% structural damage and was a "major incident," he said. | |
Firefighters managed to put out the flames before the fire spread to neighbouring shops. |
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