Shropshire Star

Fire ripped through a Telford charity shop today causing thousands of pounds of damage.

See also: Charity shop blaze - in pictures

Arsonists are being blamed for the blaze, which gutted The Salvation Army shop in High Street, Dawley, and a flat above. Police said the blaze was believed to have been started deliberately and officers have begun a joint investigation with firefighters.

Charity shop staff are assessing the full extent of the damage.

Four crews from Tweedale, Wellington and Telford Central fire stations joined two ambulances at the scene of the blaze from about 4am.

Crews doused the flames and searched the building after initially being told there could be someone inside.

The blaze is believed to have started in a first-floor flat before spreading to the charity shop below.It was out by 5.30am with the last crews departing about an hour later, although firefighters returned later in the morning to inspect the site.

Incident commander Steve Purslow said: “The first crews on the scene got some information there might be somebody in the building so we then sent extra personnel and appliances.

“Using breathing apparatus we carried out a thorough search of the property and found nobody inside.”

A witness who lives close to the shop said: “I heard some commotion outside at about 3am. At first I thought it was kids kicking in the shop door.

“But later I realised what I could hear was somebody hiccuping in the street. I think it was arson and whoever did it was probably drunk and acting alone as I heard no talking. An hour later I could smell smoke and called the fire brigade.

“The fire seemed to start upstairs and smoke was billowing out of the windows. Even my own flat smells of smoke now.”

The shop, which was gutted by the fire, has now been boarded up.

It was a busy night for fire crews across Telford & Wrekin as they tackled four more blazes.

Fire also broke out in an extraction unit at the GKN Sankey factory in Hadley Castle at about 2am.

The blaze was out by 3.30am and crews returned to the station by 3.40am.

Mr Purslow said: “It was a busy night for us but I wouldn’t say it was unusually busy.”

At about 7.40pm yesterday, firefighters dealt with a small grass and undergrowth fire at Calverhall, Stirchley.

Crews from Wellington and Telford also tackled a car on fire following a collision on the M54 eastbound, between Junction 7, for Wellington, and Junction 6, at Wrekin Retail Park.

And shortly before 11.30pm, a crew from Newport was called to deal with a small rubbish fire in Stafford Street in the town.

All photos courtesy of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service