The owners of Dennetts Garden Centre in Daventry had to evacuate their home on Monday evening (August 3) after a massive blaze broke out at a car scrapyard adjacent to the centre.
At its peak, 40 firefighters tackled the blaze and a huge plume of smoke could be seen for miles around.
At about 8pm, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue received a call from the site, plus 18 calls from concerned members of the public, relating to smoke that could be seen from a car scrapyard in London Road.
Seven fire engines, two water carriers and 40 firefighters were quickly deployed to the scene, with support from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Upon arrival, about 40 cars and vans were fully alight.
The crews were able to deploy ultra-high pressure hoses which allowed them to create an effective fire break with the rest of the stored vehicles on the site. The crews also used hose lines and were able to extinguish the fire fully within three hours.
Group Commander Barry Mullan said: “I would like to thank all of the crews on scene last night who dealt with this fire in an exceptionally efficient and professional manner and contained the fire to one area of the storage compound.
“I would also like to thank our colleagues at Northamptonshire Police who quickly deployed to the scene to close the A45 and engage with members of the public so we could concentrate our efforts completely on the job at hand.”
The cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious.
On its Facebook page Dennetts Garden Centre said:
“Thank you to all our friends, family and customers for your messages.
“As you are all aware there was a large fire at Intapart last night.
“My family, garden centre, buildings, kennels and farm are all okay.
“We would like to thank the fire brigade and police for all their hard work.
“We obviously had to keep public away from our property for their own safety and to let the fire brigade do their job.
“Many thanks from all the Dennett family.”
Pictures: Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue