Belgrave Gate fire: Collapse fears over Leicester blaze building

Sixty firefighters were tackling the fire at its height

Firefighters believe there is potential a three-storey building in Leicester could collapse following a major fire.

Sixty firefighters were tackling the blaze at Beauty Queens Cosmetics in Belgrave Gate at its height.

The cause of the fire, which broke out on Thursday morning, is due to be investigated on Friday.

The owner of the building told the BBC the fire was "heartbreaking" and the building might need to be demolished.

"It's my livelihood, it's gone," said Dinesh Chatwani, who was renting out space in the building to tenants.

"The tenants have been fantastic so I can't fault them. They've been there 15 years, it's no fault of theirs, no fault of ours. We don't know what's happened.

"It's just a disaster and I just can't cope with it. It's heartbreaking."

Dinesh Chatwani, the building's owner, said the fire was a disaster

Firefighters were called to the scene at 09:30 BST on Thursday.

One person nearby suffered smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene.

The building is due to be assessed by structural engineers on Friday.

Firefighter Ben Foster said: "The structure is not safe at the moment so there is a potential for collapse.

"We've not confirmed that right now but we're going to have further investigation into that.

"The road is closed now and this area will continue to stay closed for the foreseeable future, maybe the next day or two, until we can make sure everything is safe and secure for people to walk past."

There are fears the three-storey building could collapse

Shops were evacuated on Thursday morning and remained shut throughout the day.

People living and working nearby have been urged to keep their windows and doors closed.

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