A huge blaze at a Shropshire workshop housing highly explosive cylinders sparked a major and precarious firefighting operation yesterday.

About 40 firefighters were dispatched to the fire at Sutton Wood, near Sutton Maddock, shortly after 2pm yesterday.

The 60m by 50m workshop, also containing several vehicles, was completely destroyed despite crews having the blaze under control by 4.30pm.

Several cylinders containing propane, acetylene and oxygen were also in the workshop.

The fire put them at high risk of exploding – threatening residents of a nearby bungalow and firefighters.

Sub officer Pete Hawkins, from Telford Central fire station, led the operation. He said a 200m exclusion zone was set up while firefighters soaked the cylinders in water to cool them down.

“There was a risk of explosion and with the heat the cylinders can become very unstable,” he said.

“We set up an exclusion zone to try and protect neighbouring properties. Then our priority was to locate the cylinders and set up a covering jet.

“We will now stay out there until midnight tonight keeping the covering jet because the cylinders remain unstable for hours after the fire.

“The fire was fairly involved, taking in the whole building. The workshop was destroyed.”

He said another problem was a lack of water supply. A water bowser had to be called in.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Two crews came from Telford and others from Wellington, Bridgnorth and Tweedale.

A spokeswoman for Shropshire Fire and Rescue said the fire was called in shortly after 2pm and first reported as a shed fire.