A community in Nottinghamshire village were left in shock after waking up to 'huge flames' in the middle of the night. Between eight and ten fire engines were called out to the blaze at Gonalston Farm Shop in Southwell Road, Lowdham, at around 2am on Monday, September 12.
Alison Thomas, who lives near the farm shop, passed by the scene on Monday morning, September 12, and said: "I am in shock really. I live just next to it, so it is shocking to see.
"We woke up in the middle of the night. The flames were huge, it was devastating to see."
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The 46-year-old housing officer added: "My immediate concern is obviously the family who own the shop. It has been here for many years and I am just very sad for the owners.
"My daughter works there as well, and well, the owner has employed all of our children. This shop means a lot to our community and we now feel like we lost part of it."
She added: "It is a massive loss to our community. We come to the shop regularly."
In a post on Facebook, it was confirmed the shop would be closed 'until further notice'. A spokesperson added: "Unfortunately our lovely shop suffered a significant fire during the early hours of this morning.
"Thankfully all creatures great and small are safe and well. The shop will be closed until further notice.
"May we thank the amazing work of the emergency services who worked tirelessly through the night. We would also like to thank the kindness and generosity of all our neighbours, team, customers, suppliers and friends who have sent their best wishes and offers of help.
"We look forward to seeing you all again very soon. "
It is understood the shop was built in 1997 and has been a family-run business. Harvey Glenn, a resident in the area, added: "This shop is very busy every day. They have got high-quality food and really nice staff."
The 60-year-old added: "We did not hear anything last night, but it was shocking to see it in the morning. We heard that the main road was closed.
"We live right on Southwell Road, and it is usually very noisy and busy. So when we woke up and it was quiet we knew that something was not right.
"Everyone is devastated. The roof looks like it has been completely destroyed."
Lindsey Morecroft, a gardener who lives in the area, also added: "Everyone is very upset. This is a place where people can find high-quality food.
"It is very well-known in the area, and it is always busy. Local people absolutely love this shop.
"It is a very popular shop for sure. So of course people will be very upset that this happened."
Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live from the scene at around 8am, fire crew manager Darren Charters said: “The fire is almost out, however, we are still hot spotting. We will be here for some time. We have now got three fire engines at the scene. At some point, we had eight to 10 engines.
“The building is badly damaged inside. Nottinghamshire Police are operating the drone at the moment to be able to capture images from above the building.” No one was injured in the fire, he added.
The roof of the farm shop has been significantly damaged by the fire. Emergency services remain at the scene.
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