Dozens of firefighters battled a blaze which destroyed half of a former nightclub in Swindon's town centre.

Crews from fire stations in central Swindon, Stratton, Westlea, Royal Wootton Bassett, Cricklade, Devizes, Marlborough, Ramsbury, and Chippenham responded to calls from Henry Street at 3.44am on Thursday morning.

On arrival, crews found a well-developed fire within the former home of Lava Lounge, building, which they tackled using two main lines, hose reel jets and the ALP. 

The aerial platform ladder from central Swindon's station was also involved as one firefighter sprayed gallons of water onto the building's roof from a great height.

Cordons set up by the police, fire service, and Swindon Borough Council closed Fleet Street, Holbrook Way and Milford Street for hours.

Milford Street reopened at around 8.20am and police left the scene at 8.50am. Pedestrians walking to work stopped in their tracks to observe the firefighters at work.

Swindon Borough Council vehicles blocked much of Fleet Street for the rest of the morning. 

(Image: DWFRS Stratton)

By 9.10am, a cordon blocking the street behind the building had been removed, revealing piles of debris dumped in a skip and scorched entranceways leading into darkness, with a smell of burning lingering in the air.

By 9.25am, Holbrook Way, Milford Street and the area of Fleming Way that is accessible to traffic had all reopened.

The rest of Fleming Way is being redeveloped and is not expected to reopen until next year.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said it had been assisting the fire service with the incident by putting in place road closures.

READ MORE: Video shows firefighters trying to put out former nightclub

(Image: DWFRS Swindon)

A Wiltshire Police spokesperson added: "We responded to a request from our colleagues at Wiltshire and Dorset Fire and Rescue Service who were attending a fire at the Lava Lounge, Fleet Street just before 4am this morning, November 7, to assist with road closures."

At 11.10am, a DWFRS spokesperson explained that the incident had been scaled back to two pumping appliances, the aerial ladder platform, and a support unit.

At 12.30pm, the spokesperson added: "At the height of the incident we had approximately 50 firefighters on scene working to get the fire under control. "The utilities were isolated and 50 per cent of the building was destroyed by the fire.

READ MORE: Gallery of photos show fire engines filling town centre

"The reinspection will be taking place at 6:30pm and the cause is currently under investigation. Our stop was in at 12.02pm."

 

 

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