Quick-thinking Richmond petrol station staff prevented fire from destroying other buildings

There appears to be extensive damage to the petrol station

The action of the quick-thinking employees minimised the risk of further ignitions and there were no injuries reported.

The fire is believed to have started in a storeroom at the Harvest Energy filling station on Victoria Road on Friday afternoon, and quickly spread. Several nearby buildings and Richmondshire Cricket Club were evacuated.

The forecourt and attached Nisa Local shop appear to have been destroyed by the blaze, with extensive damage visible in photos taken on Saturday morning by local resident Douglas Waugh.

Part of the petrol station's roof has collapsed

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Fire crews have now scaled down their presence at the scene, having remained there overnight to dampen down the remains.

A statement from Harvest Energy read:

"Harvest Energy, a member of the Prax Group of companies has confirmed that on Friday August 14, a fire occurred at the Victoria Road service station in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

"No member of staff or the public were injured. The site is secure and the situation has now been contained by the fire service. The company is working fully and transparently with local authorities. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and there was no damage to nearby residential properties.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank our team at Victoria Road service station who dealt with the outbreak of the fire in a calm and professional manner, and to the local emergency services who worked tirelessly into the night to contain the fire.

"We remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of our employees, the local community and the wider general public. We will also be taking steps to eliminate any subsequent damage caused to the local environment."