Smoke fills King’s Lynn High Street as windows smash out in a huge blaze that is ripping through a charity shop.
Fire fighters can be seen moving people back to safety as the Sue Ryder charity shop is destroyed.
A dramatic video captured by Ziginta Paulauskaite shows the town centre shop with smoke and flames tearing through the historic building.
Twice you can hear windows smashing from the intense heat inside.
All staff and volunteers were evacuated safely.
Crews from across West Norfolk are battling the blaze near the Saturday Market Place.
Hundreds have gathered to watch as crews use hose reels and an aerial ladder to battle the blaze.
Crowds gathered to watch as crews went to work in the smoke-logged High Street.
A number of shops have been evacuated, including Artertons, BA Insurance, Deck of Cards, were closed as well as the Baker Lane car park behind the charity shop.
One woman in the crowd, Gillian Tyler, said she received a call from her partner who was in the town when the fire took hold.
“I was worried in case it spread,” she said. “I haven’t seen anything like this happen before in the town. It is really bad.”
The alarm was raised around 10.30am. At the height of the blaze smoke almost obscured the twin towers of Lynn Minster.
A spokesman for Sue Ryder said: “We can confirm that the fire that broke out this morning on King’s Lynn High Street started on the premises of our Sue Ryder shop, and that an investigation will be underway to determine the cause.
“Thankfully all staff, volunteers and customers were evacuated from the shop and unharmed by the incident.
“Funds raised by our network of shops help support Sue Ryder’s palliative, neurological and bereavement care, and we will be looking in due course into ways to make up funds lost due to the closure of our shop on King’s Lynn High Street.”
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