A DEVASTATED business owner saw £40,000 worth of stock destroyed after a fire broke out in the flat above her shop.

Firefighters were called to a flat fire in London Road, Wickford, yesterday with people filming the thick, black plumes of smoke from Wickford High Street.

Essex Fire has said that the flat is “uninhabitable” and was worse due to the flat having no working fire alarms.

Tricia Newman, who owns Tricia Newman’s Soft Furnishings below the flats, says her building has been badly damaged and will be closed for weeks.

She believes £40,000 in stock has been lost.

Ms Newman said: “We are trying to clear up, we have water damage, smoke damage and we have lost more than £40,000 worth of stock and we have a hole in the roof we are trying to clear up.

“We are going to be closed for weeks and we don’t know when we will be reopening.

“One of our employees came to work and saw flames coming out of the roof.

“I am angry and I am upset that this has happened.”

Steve Briggs, a Wickford resident who filmed the fire, said: “I was waiting for a store in the high street to open, and could smell something like burning rubber.

“There was a little smoke over the buildings of the high street, then within a matter of a minute or so it escalated with a very strong smell.”

Essex Fire watch manager, Finbar Tubby, said: “The fire which started in the bedroom had spread through to the loft space and into the next property. Crews did a great job to stop it from spreading further.

“Unfortunately, the residents had no working smoke alarms which could have detected the fire much quicker. We cannot stress enough how important it is to have them on every level of your home.

“Due to the damage to the roof, the flat has been left uninhabitable.”