FIRE investigators have ruled out arson in relation to a blaze which destroyed a shop at a petrol station on the outskirts of Chester.
The fire broke out in the shop of the BP garage in Tarvin Road, Stamford Bridge, about 4:30am on Sunday and was well alight when crews arrived.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said about 20 firefighters extinguished the fire. Crews remained at the scene all day Sunday damping down.
Cheshire Police spokeswoman Shelley Williams confirmed the blaze at the 24-hour garage was not being treated as suspicious following an investigation by fire investigators.
The main road was closed at the time of the incident and was not reopened until Sunday afternoon.
A spokesman for Euro Garages, which operates 70 BP forecourts across the North of England and the Midlands, said the attendant had shut down the petrol pumps to minimise the risk of an explosion. There were no injuries to staff or customers.
The spokesman refused to speculate on the cause. He said it would be ‘weeks rather than days’ before the garage would be open again.
