Leicester Mercury

Cause of garage blaze still being investigat­ed

COMMERCIAL BUILDING DESTROYED IN FIERCE FIRE

- By DAVID OWEN david.owen@reachplc.com

THE cause of a fire which ripped through a commercial garage in Leicester city centre is still not known, almost a week after the incident.

The fire service confirmed the investigat­ion into the blaze in Great Central Street, close to Highcross shopping centre, on Tuesday last week, is continuing.

The fire, off Vaughan Way, involved “cars and a large number of tyres”.

Police have also been involved in the investigat­ion, which is being led by a team from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

It has not been confirmed, however, whether the incident is being treated as suspicious.

Leicester’s Eastern Fire Station shared a photograph of the charred interior, illustrati­ng the ferocity of the blaze, via its Twitter account.

A spokesman said:

“The damage to the property was 100 per cent by fire and it will need to be demolished.

“This incident is still under investigat­ion and no further informatio­n has been provided at this stage with regards to the cause.”

It took firefighte­rs from stations across the city several hours to bring the inferno under control, after the initial emergency call shortly after 11.30pm.

Neighbouri­ng homes were evacuated. However, nobody was hurt in the incident.

In an appeal for witnesses, Detective Inspector Mark Parish, from the Complex Investigat­ion Team, said: “The location of the building where the fire occurred is very close to Vaughan Way – a main route through the city.

“I’d like to speak to anyone who

No further informatio­n has been provided with regards to the cause Fire service spokesman

was in Great Central Street or the surroundin­g area that night and who saw anyone acting in a manner that seemed unusual or suspicious.

“This includes anyone driving through the area with a dashcam in their vehicle. “Any informatio­n you have could help us.”

Anyone with informatio­n is asked to get in touch using the 101 police number, or through the force website.

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 ?? FIRE SERVICE/ CHRIS GORDON/ LEICESTER MEDIA ONLINE ?? GUTTED: The interior and, below, exterior of the garage in Great Central Street. Below left, fighting the blaze
FIRE SERVICE/ CHRIS GORDON/ LEICESTER MEDIA ONLINE GUTTED: The interior and, below, exterior of the garage in Great Central Street. Below left, fighting the blaze

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