AN OWNER has spoken out after "40 firefighters" tackled a huge blaze at a popular garden centre in Wickford.

Alton Garden Centre, located just off the A127 in Wickford, remained closed for part of yesterday after the fire broke out in the centre’s kitchen on Wednesday night.

Crews were called at 9.29pm when the first floor of the two-storey garden centre was completely alight. It took more than two hours to put the fire out.

READ MORE >> Confirmed: Popular Alton Garden Centre damaged by major fire

Derek Bunker, managing director and owner of business, said it could have been a lot worse; however, the restaurant will remain closed “for a while”.

He told the Echo: “We had our own security here all night, the fire alarm had gone off, after they looked closer they saw it was a serious fire.

“I got down here within ten minutes, and there were a lot of fire engines, around eight, with 30 to 40 firefighters too. One of the security members inhaled a lot of smoke, so he had to be checked out by the ambulance service, but thankfully he was fine.

“The investigation is underway at the moment to find out why it started. We believe it started in the kitchen area, possibility a dishwasher, but we don’t know 100 per cent yet.

“The fire spread into to the storage area above, which went up, and it was hard for the firefighters to get too, so they had to cut a hole in the roof, and knock holes through the wall.”

The family have run the garden centre for the last 51 years, having only experienced one previous “small fire” in that time. 

Mr Bunker added: “It could have been a lot worse though, and fortunately with the fire screens we have, as the fire alarm goes off, the shutters come down and cuts 50 per cent of the garden centre off, which was untouched by the fire.

“We are open partly today, the area with the decorations were untouched and not affected, and the Santa’s Grotto is all OK too. The other area of the shop isn’t too badly affected; it just has smoke damage.

“But the restaurant is going to be closed for a while, probably for at least a month, because there will be a lot of work that needs to be done there due to the damage.

“But it could have been a lot worse.”