Update as historic Hangar 3 at Old Sarum Airfield destroyed by fire

A historic World War 1 hangar at Old Sarum Airfield has been destroyed by fire.

Firefighters have been battling the major blaze near Salisbury for over 12 hours – after racing to the scene at around 6.30pm on Thursday evening (17 April).

Derelict Hanger 3, adjacent Hangar 3 cafe and a skydiving centre were all gutted by flames as a huge smoke plume rose thousands of metres into the sky.

The fire came after developers were given the green light to build 315 homes on the site – but must repair the Grade 2 listed hangar as part of the agreement.

Speaking to the Salisbury Journal, Grenville Hodge, director of Old Sarum Airfield, said that he was “absolutely devastated” by the incident.

Adding: “We just won the planning appeal and the first thing we were going to do was repair the hangar. It’s just unbelievable. Hopefully, we haven’t lost it.”

At the height of the incident last night, a spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said: “Firefighters are continuing to tackle the blaze which is affecting two partially derelict buildings.

“They are using ground monitors and an aerial ladder platform to extinguish.

“Due to the age of the building, we suspect the smoke plume may contain asbestos but investigations are ongoing.

“Local residents are advised to please keep windows and doors shut and stay inside as a precaution due to the smoke in the area.”

This morning, at around 6.30am, DWFRS added: “Overnight relief crews from Verwood, Shaftesbury, Blandford, Warminster, Ferndown, Cranborne, Westbury, Redhill Park, Gillingham and an aerial ladder platform from Swindon were on scene.

“Crews used multiple hose reel jets and main lines to extinguish and at 5.44am this morning, the incident was scaled back to two appliances. Remaining crews are now dampening down.

“We are currently working with our colleagues at Wiltshire Police to determine the cause.”