A BLAZE which gutted the Co-op store in Hamworthy, Poole, on Saturday morning may not have been arson after all.

Emergency services were scrambled at about 5am following reports that the Blandford Road premises were on fire. Eighty firefighters and a dozen appliances were sent from across Dorset to tackle the flames.

Some staff turned up for work at 6am to find their workplace all but destroyed.

The blaze was originally treated as suspicious, but Poole CID said on Sunday that they had no evidence that it was started deliberately.

Fire officer Tim Spring at said the fire started in a bin outside the back of the store and spread into the roof space. Firefighters moved cylinders to avert the risk of explosion and managed to save a large part of the building.

"Some rooms have been largely unaffected. This was a very intense fire, with extremely high temperatures. Some sections of the wall are liable to collapse," said Mr Spring.

Locals said the customers of the shop included residents of local rest homes, who valued the store as a place to buy everyday supplies and chat to other people.

  • Did you witness the blaze? Email newsdesk@bournemouthecho.co.uk