Apocalyptic' Fire Tears Through Flats And Shops

The blaze started in a nail salon and spread rapidly

Four people were injured and 20 evacuated from their homes when an "apocalyptic" fire swept through shops and flats in the centre of Sudbury in Suffolk.

The blaze started in a nail salon and spread rapidly to adjoining shops and flats above, trapping a number of people.   

Hundreds of people spilled on to the street as flames ripped through the building and thick, black smoke billowed into the sky.

Sarah Pheby, 28, who lives in a flat across the street, said: "It started in Celebrity Nails, which isn't a particularly big shop. Then there was an explosion and it just spread incredibly quickly."

She added: "The fire looked apocalyptic. I could feel the heat of the flames on my face when I looked at it through the window, and that was through my double glazing.

"The first floor of the building has collapsed, it is just a shell now. The roof has gone."

She said firefighters in cherry pickers were sent up to people trapped in the flats above.

"There was someone in the top floor, I hope they got out OK. I could see them in the top floor window, the firefighters went up there," she said.

Around 15 fire engines and dozens of crew rushed to the town centre to tackle the blaze, which they have been battling for hours.

Police were called at 6.25pm to help and at 7pm a full evacuation of the area was launched.

Luke Cresswell, a teaching assistant and local councillor, said: "I saw around 20 people being evacuated. They were given covers and looked really upset.

"There were families including children. They looked really shaken up, some of them were crying. A couple of the young girls only looked around five or six years-old and were very upset.

"They were given blankets and taken to the side by an ambulance where they were being looked after."

Three people - a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s - were taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation and minor burns, the East of England Ambulance Service said.

Another patient was treated at the scene.

An investigation is being launched to find out the cause of the blaze, which was brought under control by around 10.30pm last night.