Fire crews still on site of overnight blaze at Retford carpet shop
Fire services continue to monitor a blaze at a Retford carpet shop, after eight fire engines and crew worked from around 9pm yesterday to make the area safe.
All that remains of last night's shocking fire, that engulfed the Hospital Road premises of MCP Carpets, and damaged two flats to the rear, is an odd puff of smoke from the building.
Nottinghamshire Fire Service incident commander Christian Brown said this morning: "An aerial ladder platform is being used to douse pockets of smoke that are still coming up, but the issue is we can't get in there as there is danger of the whole building collapsing.
"The fire was under control several hours ago, but keeps re-igniting. Structural engineers will be assessing the building.
"We still don't know the cause of the fire. It is now a level two fire investigation."
Local resident Imogen Barnett, 48, of Lime Tree Avenue, said: "I was sitting in my front room just before 9pm last night and noticed what I thought were large dark clouds.
"Once outside I could see there was a fire and thought it was my friend's house opposite the carpet shop. You could hear the fire and feel it.
"There were several explosions. It was awful. Fire engines appeared all at once. It went up so quickly and was literally roaring - smoke and flames.
"I felt so awful for the family whose business it was - all they could do was stand and watch. But thankfully no-one was injured."
Aidan Curt, 19, of Lime Tree Avenue, off Hospital Road, said: "I'd not been home from work long last night, and I heard some loud bangs that I thought were gunshots.
"I went outside and it seemed that flames and black smoke were everywhere, with about seven fire engines. There were crowds of people out just standing and watching it all."
Emergency services received a high volume of calls about the incident, and nearby residents were advised to keep doors and windows closed.
Hallcroft roundabout is now open to traffic but Hospital Road and some side roads around the site of the fire remain closed as drivers use alternative routes.
Fire crews from Retford, Worksop, Mansfield, Tuxford, Edwinstowe and Carlton, Harworth and Misterton attended the incident.
A fire service spokesperson said that two crews and an aerial ladder platform are expected to be there for several more hours.