The roof of a building fell in after flames took hold in Malmesbury overnight.
Emergency services rushed to the Hyams Autos workshop in the High Street shortly before 3am this morning (Saturday, 22 October).
Five fire engines from Chippenham, Corsham, Swindon, Tetbury and Cirencester attended the incident, which involved the commercial unit.
Concerned that the fire could involve the adjoining residential flats, firefighters immediately entered the raging flames in a bid to rescue any people inside.
“A call was received from a member of the public stating they could see smoke coming from the roof of the building, quickly followed by further callers who confirmed flames were visible”, a Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said.
Adding: “Upon arrival it was unknown if there were any persons in the flat above, so firefighters forced entry and used ‘Rapid Deployment’ putting themselves directly into the risk area to make an immediate start on tackling the fire.”
15 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, a covering jet and a thermal imagine camera were used to exstingish the blaze.
As a result of the falling roof, numerous vehicles within the building sustained significant damage.
A fire investigation is ongoing at the scene this morning. Wiltshire Police officers are also present, but say they don’t believe, at this early stage, that the fire was started deliberately.
