Store fire repairs may cost £5m

There are a number of properties on the 100-acre site

Fire crews are damping down at the site of a huge blaze at the Trago Mills retail store near Newton Abbot, Devon.

At its height, 200 firefighters were at the scene, tackling one of the biggest fires Devon has seen in recent years.

The fire, which is thought to have started in the paint section of the store, has caused about £5m of damage.

No-one was hurt in the blaze which broke out just after 6am on Thursday and was restricted to the main building on the 100-acre site.

Exploding paint

Thirty fire appliances were called to shopping centre off the A382, near the A38.

Devon Fire and Rescue Service described the fire on Wednesday morning as "large and serious".

Divisional Officer Graham Jackson said: "The main fire was in the paint sales area and there are many tins of flammable products which were exploding at the time."

It seems like we've had fireworks early - I could hear them popping in there Owner Bruce Robertson

The 100-acre site which includes a children's play area, miniature railway, children's zoo, petrol station and a car showroom, is situated just off the A38 Devon Expressway.

None of the animals in the leisure park were injured.

The fire was said to be under control by 11am, but the area was closed to non-essential traffic and staff were told to stay away from work.

Environmental Health Officers asked people living nearby to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed as a precautionary measure and pupils were told to leave Stover School in Newton Abbot because of smoke around the area.

The chief officer of Devon Fire and Rescue Service, Paul Young, said fire teams from all over the county were at the scene.

He said: "All of our efforts were on trying to contain the fire in the area in which it started. The situation was very serious."

Fire service units are expected to be on site until Thursday morning.

Smoke from the fire was blown across the nearby A38

BBC Radio Devon's Sophie Pierce said: "It was an extraordinary sight.

"When I got here, I couldn't actually see Trago Mills, even though I was only a few hundred yards away, because of clouds of grey belching smoke. One looked like a mushroom cloud above the building."

Police said the fire, which started in the paint section of the store, was not thought to be suspicious, but the police and fire brigade's arson task force will investigate the site.

With its fake turrets and mock castle walls, Trago Mills is something of a retail institution in the South West of England, owned by the flamboyant millionaire Bruce Robertson and attracting tens of thousands of shoppers every week.

Mr Robertson described it as a "major setback".

He said: "It seems like we've had fireworks early, I could hear them popping in there.

"Christmas will be a problem for us, and I don't think there'll be much chance of being back in fighting shape in time for the January sales."

As well as its Devon branch, the company also has outlets in Liskeard and Falmouth in Cornwall.