FIREFIGHTERS tackled a blaze which spread to a café and convenience store during a dramatic incident in the city centre.
Five crews rushed to the scene in St John’s Street shortly before 5am today after a passer-by spotted smoke billowing out of a commercial building.
On arrival, firefighters confirmed the fire was affecting a café and a convenience store and had spread to the roof of the building and into the adjoining roof spaces.
Fears were raised about beams catching fire and causing the flames to spread further as crews from Colchester, Wivenhoe, Coggeshall and Chelmsford worked to expose the roof to dampen hot spots.
A fire brigade spokesman said its control team received a number of calls regarding smoke at the incident and advised residents in central Colchester to keep their windows and doors closed.
St John’s Street remained closed until 2pm while St John’s car park, Wilko and Iceland had to shut their doors. It is understood no-one was injured during the event.
Fire incident commander Ryan Ainger said: “I want to thank crew manager Dave Farrant and the crews who attended the incident this morning.
“Their tactical plan and rapid intervention meant we were able to contain the fire, which could have otherwise affected four buildings.
“An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire.”
David Nicherson, who owns Bumbles Café just doors down from the scene of the fire, told the Gazette he has bought a lottery ticket as he thanked his good fortune his business was unaffected.
He said: “We were very lucky it didn’t spread as far as our café, I’ve bought a lottery ticket as clearly my luck’s in.
“There are a lot of old timbers in the roof here which most likely helped the fire spread. All the electrics have been turned off up until ours.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to stay open or not while this is going on. The buses aren’t running down here and without a doubt it will affect our business.”
A team from UK Power Networks dealt with concerns electrical wiring could spark mass flames if they caught alight throughout the incident.
Buses were diverted through the town centre and crowds gathered to witness the unfolding event.
Castle ward councillor Mark Goacher said: “I very much hope that no-one has been hurt in this incident. A huge thanks to our emergency services for all they are doing.”
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