Blaze rips through Stafford Land Rover dealership
The blaze began when fuel in the dealership workshop caught fire last night.
Six fire engines were needed to tackle a blaze at a Land Rover dealership in Stafford last night.
Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service spent nearly 12 hours at Swansway Land Rover after fuel in the workshop accidentally caught fire shortly before 8pm.
Nobody was injured, although several vehicles were damaged, the fire service confirmed today.
Flames could be seen rising through the roof of the dealership at the Prime Point 14 business park, which is just off the A34 next to Junction 14 of the M6 in the north of the town.
Smoke was pouring into the night sky as firefighters used an aerial platform to help douse the flames until the blaze was under control at around 9.30pm.
Crews were still at the site damping down more than 12 hours after they were first called, with the last engine leaving the scene at 8.45am today.
The dealership covers three acres in Valley Drive and was opened in early 2015 after a £6 million investment.
Although staff are yet to be allowed back into the workshop to assess the damage, Swansway director Peter Smyth said the company hoped to have the showroom open again tomorrow.
"It has obviously caused a fair degree of damage to the workshop but the damage to the showroom is just cosmetic," Mr Smyth said.
"We are hoping to have the showroom ready by tomorrow and the workshop by Monday.
"Nobody got hurt, the fire brigade did a great job. It is business as usual for us.
"There is no impact as a company at all, we are extremely well insured and we are working with our insurance company.
"There were people on site at the time who noticed the fire and did the right thing – they vacated the premises and informed the fire brigade. I would like to express thanks to the local fire brigade."
A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue added: "The fire was under control at about half past nine. After that we were just there to dampen down.."
Crews were sent from Longton, Stafford, Newcastle, Burton, Cannock, Eccleshall and Chase Terrace.
