Investigations ongoing into cause of airfield fire

The cause of a huge fire that engulfed a Grade II*-listed World War One aircraft hangar is being investigated.

The blaze broke out at the Old Sarum Airfield on Lancaster Road in Salisbury on Thursday evening.

A hangar was completely destroyed as a result of the fire, which also engulfed the adjacent restaurant and café.

Wiltshire Police said that people taking pictures had been getting in the way of emergency workers "in an attempt to take photos of the burning building".

"Please avoid the area and respect cordons - they are in place to protect you," the police added.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said fire crews had now left the scene with only some "wisps of smoke rising from the rubble" on Friday afternoon.

The fire broke out just a week after developers - Old Sarum Airfield Ltd - were given the go-ahead for up to 315 homes to be built there following a battle for permission.

Company director Gary Squires said he was "deeply saddened" by the damage and the company was "cooperating fully with the authorities" whilst awaiting the outcomes of the investigations.

"Our immediate focus is on supporting the investigation and assessing the extent of the damage," he said, thanking the emergency services for their "swift and professional response" which had saved the brickwork of the hangar and some parachuting equipment.

Amy Ore, who lives close to the site of the fire, said she saw "a massive plume of smoke" on Thursday evening.

"I didn't anticipate the scale of it," she said.

Sue Ford, who runs a flower shop close to the fire, said: "It was scary, really. It was raging, could feel the heat from here.

"You just couldn't believe it was happening, really."

A spokesperson from the Save Old Sarum group, which has been campaigning to prevent development on the airfield land, added: "We are deeply saddened by the fire at Hangar 3 and café at Old Sarum Airfield, and we praise the swift response by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service in containing the fire."

They added: "This is not just a loss to the local community, but the nation as well."

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