WITNESSES have told of seeing a "wall of flame" in a blaze which gutted a Co-op store in Hamworthy on Saturday.

The fire was initially thought to have been arson, but investigators have not yet found evidence it was caused deliberately.

See link below for readers' photos of the blaze

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

Because of thick smoke, police officers urged residents to keep windows and doors shut. No one had to be evacuated homes, but a section of Blandford Road was closed to traffic.

Rebecca Heath, 16, who lives nearby, said she was woken by a "loud grinding noise" as firefighters cut through the metal shutters at the front of the store.

"It was just unbelievable," she said. "The fire started at the back and moved forward. Suddenly there was a massive blast. We've lived here for eight years and always used the store. Now it's gone it's a loss to the community."

Her mother, Jo Heath, said: "I woke up about 10 to six. I heard a fire engine and looked out. There were about 10 fire engines up the road and a smoking Co-op. It was a shock.

"The smoke was coming from the far end of the store. I could just see it moving along the side. There was smoke coming out of the drainpipes. All of a sudden there was a gigantic wall of flame. We had to shut our windows because of the heat."

Another resident, Bob Hart, said: "I heard the roof popping, just like fireworks. The tiles were exploding."

Shaun Kingham said: "I woke up about 5am and looked out the window. I saw a red glow. It's unbelievable."

His mother, Vera Kingham, visiting from Hertfordshire, said: "It sounded just like a firework display. There was black smoke with a red haze around it."

Fire officer Tim Spring said the fire may have 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.

Detective Sergeant Garry Knight of Poole CID said yesterday: "There's nothing to indicate this fire was started deliberately. We didn't find any accelerants and it started in an area very accessible to everyone. It could have been started by someone walking past discarding a cigarette or a match."

The store employs 49 full- and part-time staff. Some turned up for work at 6am to find their workplace had gone up in smoke.

A spokeswoman for the Co-op group said: "It's clear that the store has suffered extensive damage, but it's too early to speculate on its future.

"We're co-operating with the police investigation and ask for anybody with information to come forward."

Hamworthy East councillor Mike White praised emergency services and Borough of Poole staff who set up a refuge for anyone who might have been affected by smoke inhalation. He added: "This leaves Hamworthy with no supermarket at all, which is going to force people to travel either to the town centre or the parade of shops at Upton. I'd like to call on the bus operators to look at their schedules and consider whether they ought to be looking at additional services to Poole or Upton."

Police are appealing for witnesses, who may have seen anything suspicious around the time of the fire, to contact Dorset Police anonymously on 01202 222 222 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Additional reporting Julie Magee and Ceri Rees