THE FIREFIGHTING effort in Pinehurst is likely to last much of the night, a fire chief said.
Group Manager Kathy Collis of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said 40 firefighters were tackling the fire at the One Stop shop on Pinehurst Circle.
Ms Collis told the Swindon Advertiser: “Firefighters are not actively firefighting inside the building. We are dealing with the roof fire from the outside of the building for safety reasons. We will be working overnight and the main scene of operations will be confirming the fire is out in the One Stop.
“We will be using the aerial appliance to remove roof tiles, damping down and cutting away.”
She praised the work of shop staff in evacuating the building so quickly and the first fire crews from Corsham and Cricklade in stopping the fire from spreading: “The initial crews would have had to work extremely hard considering the heat and the intensity of the fire.”
A fire incident support unit from Swindon’s Drove Road fire Station is at the scene, together with a command unit from Stratton.
The Pinehurst Circle is extremely smokey and residents have been advised to keep their windows shut against the smoke.
Police have appealed for witnesses who saw anything suspicious near the stop shortly before 999 crews were called at 7.30pm to call 101.
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