Northamptonshire firefighters praised for tackling blaze in heat

Six fire engines were called the incident in Northampton

Crews who put out a fire at a parade of shops have been praised for working through the hottest part of the day.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue was called to the Standens Barn local centre in Northampton at 13:35 BST on Monday.

Firefighters found the building was fully alight and six engines attended the scene, as well as an aerial rescue appliance.

Chief fire officer Darren Dovey said it was "brilliant work".

The service said everyone had safely left the building before crews arrived, and four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were able to extinguish the fire.

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Mr Dovey said: "In this heat crews needed to ensure they were able to hydrate on scene. That's why all appliances are carrying extra drinking water."

Although an investigation was under way, at this stage the cause was believed to be accidental, the fire service said.