THICK plumes of smoke billowed over Rotherham yesterday evening after the former DC Cook car supermarket went up in flames.
Fire crews were called to the site in Fitzwilliam Road at just before 7pm after a blaze began in the old vehicle workshop.
At its height eight pumps and one aerial ladder worked to bring the fire under control, and managed to stop it spreading to the old sales area of the building.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire, which is believed to have started in rubbish left in the workshop. The fire then spread to the roof insulation.
Steve Chu, spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said: "The fire started with an accumulation of rubbish in the workshop area which caught fire, although the cause is still being investigated.
"The actions of the firefighters, and also the compartmental layout of the building, meant they were able to contain it to the workshop and stop it spreading to the old sales area."
Police shut off Fitzwilliam Road and closed the nearby Aldwarke Lane at the height of the blaze, but the roads were open again by around 9pm.
Three pumps remained on site damping down the area from 9pm onwards once the blaze had been extinguished.
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