Last updated at 12:41, Friday, 04 December 2009

Fire investigators today moved in to try and establish the cause of a devastating fire which ripped through a Cumbrian supermarket last night.

• Video: Firefighters tackle the blaze at Penrith Morrisons

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More than 50 firefighters from across the county spent the night tackling the blaze and damping down at Morrisons in Penrith.

People had to be evacuated from their homes and nearby roads closed as the emergency response was launched with flames leaping from the building.

Management say Morrisons’ 320 Penrith-based staff will be relocated at other Cumbrian outlets while repairs are carried out.

Branch manager Jackie Mills said that a store would be re-established despite the severity of the fire, which started at about 5.45pm yesterday.

She added: “It is terrible for all the staff, some of them have been with us for years and are in tears.

“And it’s terrible for our customers at this time of year, they don’t want to be trailing to Carlisle for their shopping. It’s upsetting for everybody.

“Penrith has been a really good site for Morrisons and they will definitely rebuild.”

Watch firefighters tackling the blaze in this video by Carl Fallowfield, of Penrith (requires flv player)

The majority of the shop’s roof collapsed to reveal glowing embers of the structure of the building during the course of the long fight against the blaze.

And the severity of the damage suggested to onlookers that little could be salvaged from the store, which was thronging with early evening customers at the time of the incident.

“We will be having a big meeting over the weekend and speak to everybody,” Mrs Mills added. “We will be sending our staff to the Carlisle and Kendal stores to help out there. The jobs are all guaranteed.”

The fire brought Penrith town centre to a standstill.

It destroyed the roof of the superstore after starting in the roof above its pharmacy then spreading throughout the roof and the store itself.

Firefighters were forced to attack the blaze from the outside because they could not guarantee the building’s structural safety.

Watch second video of Penrith Morrisons fire shot by Carl Fallowfield, of Penrith (requires flv player)

Bob Nixon, from Cumbria Fire and Rescue, said: “At the moment we arrived on scene we were met with a rapidly developing fire at the front of the premises on the ground floor, which rapidly spread into the roof. The weather conditions were difficult, as we had a strong wind driving the flames back towards the rear of the building.

“We are looking at very severe damage.”

Crews remained at the scene damping down the remains of the store to allow structural surveyors to assess its shell.

Nobody was harmed during the blaze, although police took the precaution of evacuating residents from the neighbouring Elm Terrace, and closing the roads around the store, including Ullswater Road, the main route into Penrith from the M6.

People were moved to an emergency reception centre set up at the town's leisure centre.

Castlegate was still closed in both directions this morning.

Hundreds of people from around the town came to watch the drama unfold, with some putting out seats on the roundabout next to the store.

Student Robert Henderson, from Castletown, said: “It pretty much spread across three quarters of the entire building. You could see it from Beacon Edge.

“It looked pretty severe. Three quarters of the shop was bright orange and you could see flames through the windows.

“It was total gridlock in the street as there was loads of cars stopping to have a look.”

The supermarket’s assistant deputy manager David Spencer added: “The lights went off in the pharmacy, then the alarm went off and the announcement came over for everyone to leave the store.

“The smoke was coming through thick and fast from above. It was pouring through the ceiling tiles and escalated so rapidly that in 10 minutes the store was absolutely full of smoke.”

And Gavin Little, 21, who was evacuated from nearby Elm Court, said: “I was at work across the road and saw the roof above the chemist was on fire.

“At first I thought because there was only one fire engine it couldn’t be that bad but I got a call from my manager who said that engines were coming through from Carlisle.”

Among the main concerns for fire crews were the store’s spirits aisle and the adjacent petrol station, which are both at the far end of the store from where the blaze erupted.

Have you got any photos or video of the blaze? Send them here

First published at 19:33, Thursday, 03 December 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk