A FIRE has broken out in an empty Winchester city centre shop.

Residents above the empty unit next to the Hasta shop on the High Street were evacuated after the fire took hold at 12.24pm.

Plumes of smoke were seen billowing out of the building. Three fire engines are currently at the scene, blocking access up the High Street. 

Two fire engines from Eastleigh fire station and one from Basingstoke arrived at the scene at 12.29pm - just five minutes after being alerted to it.

Part of Winchester High Street was closed off to allow crews to battle the fire, which was caused by an electrical fault.

One Winchester resident who asked not to be named told how fire crews broke down the door of the building to get inside.

John Gillingham, 30, who lives above the building where it happened said firefighters shouted at him to get out.

Mr Gillingham said: "We were above and we heard the firefighters kicking the doors and I opened the window and saw the fire and grabbed my stuff and told my neighbours to get out.

"There was no flames, it was just literally covered in smoke."

Tactical advisor and senior fire officer at Eastleigh Fire Station Steve Buchanan-Lee said: "At 12.24pm we were mobilised to Winchester High Street, on arrival at 12.29pm we identified there was smoke coming from the premises and we instigated a responses plan which involved three pumps an officer."

Fire crews then used thermal equipment to find the cause of the fire which was in the rear of the shop in an electrical cupboard.

The cause of the fire was treated as non-suspicious but fire crews are currently in contact with the electrical board and will isolate the supply.

Mr Buchanan-Lee praised the response of firefighters and added: "These things always have the potential to be worse but thanks to the reaction of incident commander John Clarke from Basingstoke and the actions of his crews the fire was quickly dealt with and any further danger of spread was stopped."