FIREFIGHTERS battled a blaze at a grocery shop in Chatteris for almost three hours last night.

The fire, thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, broke out in the shop in East Park Street shortly after 8.30pm.

Fire crews from Chatteris, Manea and Sutton arrived to discover the blaze on the ground floor of the two-storey building.

They entered the shop wearing breathing apparatus and extinguished the fire using three hose reels and two jets.

The cause of the fire was accidental and is believed to have started in an electrical cable.

Paul Clarke, Station Manager for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “When the first crew arrived from Chatteris, they were met with a rapidly developing fire and immediately called for back up.

“The room where the fire started was lined with wood panels with polystyrene installation which led the fire to spread very rapidly.

“Because of this crews did a fantastic job in containing the fire to the room where the fire started. The rest of the ground is damaged by smoke, but crucially has not been damaged by fire.

“Electrical fires are more common than people might think and we recommend periodic testing of electrical cables and appliances in both homes and businesses as a way of preventing this.”

Crews returned to their stations at 11.35pm.

For further information, contact your local fire station or log onto www.cambsfire.gov.uk