A FIRE that destroyed much of a building in Lagos Street,  last night  is believed to have started accidentally.

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service was called to Baraka Groceries at 9.49pm, where they found the first floor of the premises well alight.

Fire crews from Swindon, Stratton and Westlea initially attended to tackle the blaze, supported by the aerial appliance from Swindon, an incident command vehicle from Stratton and a crew from Cricklade.

The incident was under control by 2.20am but the Service maintained a presence at the scene throughout the night to continue damping down – crews from Malmesbury, Marlborough and Corsham attended for this.

The fire destroyed the first floor and roof of the building, with smoke and water damage to the shop itself.

A full fire investigation has not been possible due to the building being deemed unsafe by Swindon Council’s building control officer.

While there are no suspicious circumstances, the exact cause of the blaze is likely to remain unknown.