Downham Market retained crew has been provided with new equipment and a replacement appliance. This is being stationed at the nearby Downham Market police station where a disused part of the station kindly loaned by Norfolk Constabulary is being used to store fire service equipment. 

First arriving firefighters saw flames through the windows of the appliance bay, with the fire spreading rapidly within the building. An investigation into the cause of the blaze is now underway. 

The fire broke out about 12.30am this morning (Tuesday 11 March) and the first appliance from King's Lynn arrived on the scene 20 minutes later. Eight pumping appliances from Norfolk and Cambridgeshire attended and Norfolk's Urban Search & Rescue Team are assessing the stability of what is left of the building. Nobody was injured in the blaze. 

Chief Fire Officer for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service Nigel Williams, said: "We are grateful to our colleagues at Norfolk Constabulary for the magnificent support they have offered overnight and today. In the future, we will be looking into the potential to sit down with colleagues with Norfolk Constabulary and discuss future arrangements which may be eligible for some sort of funding from central Government. 

"Our priority today is to provide full fire cover for the people of Downham and I am pleased that this has been achieved very quickly. I'm very grateful for the excellent support we have received from our colleagues at Norfolk Constabulary." 

Dan Roper, Cabinet member for Public Protection at Norfolk County Council, added: "Although incidents like this are very rare, we have contingency plans in place to deal with emergencies such as this. It is clear that these plans have worked well in practice. Fire cover was restored to Downham Market very quickly even while this incident was still being dealt with. 

"This event reminds us that nobody is immune when a fire breaks out. I am pleased we have been able to move quickly and provide immediate cover for the people of Downham Market. We need now to explore what options are available to us in the longer term."