Polish delicatessen gutted by fire following burglary

A POLISH delicatessen in Northampton was gutted by fire yesterday morning after burglars broke in to the shop.

Dozens of firefighters were called to the Best Pol Delicatessen, in Barrack Road, shortly after 3.20am on Sunday.

Firefighters had to initially cut through metal protective shutters to get into the shop, which specialises in Eastern European produce, before battling the flames.

The ground floor of the shop was badly scorched by the flames, with much of the shop’s stock completely destroyed.

Yesterday morning a handwritten Polish note had been stuck on the shop door explaining the convenience store had been closed because of the fire.

The owners of the shop were not available for comment yesterday.

Fire investigators, as well as police scenes of crime officers (SOCO), were at the convenience store examining the building until around lunchtime.

And last night, fire investigators confirmed the cause of the blaze was deliberate ignition, with police detectives believing the fire was started after a break-in.

One shocked local shopkeeper, who woke in the night to the sound of fire crews trying to gain entry to the shop, said he had been shocked by the incident.

He said: “I heard the fire brigade there. There were five fire engines and the road and pavement were sealed off.

“They were trying to cut through the shutters to get into the shop, that was all I saw.

“There was smoke coming from the roof and by about 5.30am they had finished and the fire was out.

“The police were then there in the morning before somebody came to board up the doors.

“Forensic officers then arrived to look for fingerprints. It is a shock.”

Firefighters from The Mounts, two crews from Moulton as well as another crew from Mereway and a technical rescue vehicle were all sent to deal with the fire.

Crews used hydraulic equipment, two hose reels, a jet, as well as gas monitors and thermal imaging cameras while fighting the blaze.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue said the fire had “severely damaged” both the shop and its contents.