The relative peace and quiet of a Sunday evening in Ruddington has been shattered by the arrival of fire crews to tackle a blaze at our village centre bookmakers.
High Street was cordoned off for over an hour when two fire engines arrived to deal with the incident soon after seven o’clock at the Coral betting shop. The business had already closed for the day when smoke was seen coming from the building and the emergency services called out. Local resident Rory Betts took this photograph right at the height of the incident.
Eye-witnesses report firefighters smashed down the front door of the bookies to gain access with their high pressure hose to tackle the blaze. As it was being brought under control, they were also seen accessing Thomas James Estate Agents next door to check whether the fire had spread.
In a press statement, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue confirms: “Crews from West Bridgford and Highfields were called to the scene of a fire in a betting shop on Ruddington High Street at 7.11pm. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a hose reel to extinguish the fire which was located on the ground floor. Two adjacent properties were cleared of smoke.”
Nottingham City Transport’s Green 10 was temporarily re-routed during the incident, however High Street has now been reopened after fire crews ensured the fire was extinguished and the area was declared safe at around 8.30pm.
No one was hurt during the blaze, and onlooker @JonoWith tweeted: “@nottsfire Fire Service did an excellent job at bringing it under control quickly.” However, the interior of the betting shop is said to be “severely damaged” and so the branch is unlikely to reopen until it can be repaired and refurbished. It seems the fire was started accidentally by part of the electrical supply overheating. Some nearby residents are now reporting their water supply has turned yellow and smells of sulphur! Severn Trent is advising customers affected to run their cold tap for about twenty minutes until it’s clear again.
RUDDINGTON.info will bring you any further updates on this story, including when our bookmakers might be able to start taking bets again, as and when we receive them…
