'To say a bomb has hit it would be an understatement': Heartbreak for Much Wenlock farm shop owners after 'ferocious' fire destroys business
The owner of a farm shop in Much Wenlock has been left devastated after his business was totally destroyed by a fire in the early hours of Monday.
Peter Themans and his wife Alison have run the farm shop and butchers at Wenlock Edge Farm at East Wall between Much Wenlock and Church Stretton for the last 20 years.
But their beloved business was reduced to ash and rubble in just three hours after a huge fire tore through the site in the early hours of Monday morning.
Crews from Bridgnorth, Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Much Wenlock, Shrewsbury and Telford rushed to the scene after reports of a fire came in at around 3am.
A spokesperson from Shropshire Fire and Rescue said, at one point, approximately 30 firefighters were battling the blaze.
Just a few minutes before the first fire crews arrived, Peter had been alerted to the unfolding scene.
He said: "We had a neighbour banging on the door just before 3am, by that time, half of the business was already well alight.
"The fire engines were there very quickly but it swept through the whole building so fast. It was ferocious, there was no stopping it.
"There was acrid smoke and huge flames, the heat was intense, you couldn't get anywhere near it."
A couple of hours after the first call to the emergency services had been made, members of staff began turning up for work unaware of the chaotic scene that would greet them.
Peter said: "It was still burning at that point, everyone was in shock."
Despite the best efforts of the many firefighters, Peter said nothing remains of their beloved business.
"Everything's gone, there's nothing left. To say a bomb has hit is would be an understatement. We're going to have to start from scratch," he said.
"It's shocking to see the devastation in a short period of time. It was just a three-hour window of our life but it took everything."
While an investigation into the source of the blaze was still underway, Peter said it appeared the fire had began close to a chest freezer.
He said: "The fire service have been absolutely incredible, we can't thank them enough."
In the hours since the devastating blaze, the business owner said he'd been blown away by the number of people reaching out to the couple to check in.
"We didn't know so many people cared," he added.
