Kent fire crews battle huge blaze

A fire which broke out in a building in Wildernesse Avenue in Kent could have been started deliberately.

The fire broke out last Wednesday and was attended by fire crews from Swanley, Thameside, Maidstone, Larkfield, Sevenoaks, Seal and Tonbridge.

Witness, Sue Marks said: “A woman who lives in this street smelled the smoke. The firefighters were in here for a long time. Our shop absolutely stinks of smoke and there’s ash all over the plants.”

Steve Whitehead, who runs a shop in the High Street, said: “We smelled something burning and were wondering what it was – my office manager Gemma Knight said it smelled like a barbecue. Then we noticed the smoke out the window and she realised what was going on, so she called the police – it was about 1.20pm.There was still smoke billowing out everywhere – I can’t believe how bad it was. It’s just lucky nobody got hurt, but it makes you wonder.”

A spokesperson for West Kent Police said: “The circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire are being investigated.”