Dunelm fire: Blaze at Yeovil store deemed 'accidental'

Heavy smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the store on Sunday. Credit: Sherborne Fire Station

A fire which left a town-centre Dunelm store seriously damaged was "accidental," the fire service has said.

Firefighters were called to the home furnishings store at the Quedam Shopping Centre, in Yeovil, at around 5pm on Sunday 25 August.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) said the fire was most likely started "accidentally outside the building, possibly from a discarded cigarette."

A Dunelm store spokesperson confirmed the building will remain closed for the "foreseeable future."

The fire damaged 30% of the roof, and "all the contents of the building were damaged by smoke and water", the fire service said.

It added adjacent buildings were checked for smoke and fire damage, and no issues were found.

Crews from across Somerset and Dorset attended the blaze at the Dunelm store in Yeovil. Credit: Sherborne Fire Station

In a statement, Dunelm said: “On Sunday afternoon a major fire broke out at our Yeovil store. Everyone was safely evacuated, and no one was harmed in the incident.

"Our thanks go to the Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service who were on site quickly and able to extinguish the fire in its entirety.

"Following significant damage to the store it will remain closed for the foreseeable future and further updates will be made in due course.

"As a top priority, we are now working closely with our colleagues who were affected by this incident to ensure they have the support they need, and all will be placed in alternative roles across the business while the store is closed.

"During this time we'd also like to remind our valued customers about the fantastic stores we have in Taunton, Weymouth, Salisbury and Exeter which will be able to serve all of their homeware needs, or they can visit us online at Dunelm.com"

The Quedam Shopping Centre has since reopened.