King's Lynn High Street closed after charity shop fire
- Published
The fire has ripped through the Sue Ryder shop on the High Street
Part of a high street was closed after "serious fire" broke out in a charity shop, prompting a warning by the fire service to avoid the area.
Twelve appliances were sent to the Sue Ryder shop in King's Lynn to tackle a blaze that broke out at 10:30 BST.
Flames gutted the building leaving it smouldering and one appliance has been left to monitor the site overnight.
An off-duty firefighter helped evacuate the shop and this avoided casualties, the fire service said.
Nearby Baker Lane Car Park was also closed.
Surrounding buildings were evacuated and the section of the road at the Saturday Market Place end was closed.
"We contained the fire to prevent it spreading to nearby buildings, but we had concerns about the construction of the shop," fire officer and incident commander Andy Ayers said.
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Firefighters tackled the flames from above as it took hold in the roof space and others areas.
"It's in an old part of the town and because of fears about the [timber] construction of the building we did not put crews inside," Mr Ayers said.
"I advise people, for their own safety, to stay away from the area."
A watch will be maintained with one crew and appliance remaining at the scene into Friday morning to ensure the fire does not break out again, a spokesman said.
Lucy Golding, from a nearby restaurant, said no-one had been injured, but the damage to businesses had been considerable.
"There's been massive smoke damage to businesses all along the High Street, but everyone is safe and that's the main thing," she said,
A plume of smoke can be seen above the High Street