Fire at Kettering shopping centre as shoppers and staff evacuated after TK Maxx incident

An emergency call was made to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) shortly after 9.45am after a fire in TK Maxx was discovered.

Staff from all shops in the centre were alerted just after 10am and were told to follow evacuation procedures.

Two crews – one from Kettering, the other from Rothwell – have been attending the scene just off Lower Street. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reel jets to get the fire under control and fully extinguished.

Station manager for NFRS Ronnie Rochester said: “We responded to what we believe is an electrical fire. A fire in a fuse box has created a lot of smoke and set off a sprinkler system so therefore everyone has been evacuated from the building and we are currently trying to eliminate any hazards that are left within the building before we can let anyone in.

“It didn’t catch fire to any of the stock, it was just a fire within the electrical box that caused an awful lot of smoke.

“All the staff were evacuated. We’re going to maintain a presence on this corner so we don’t cause anymore disruption to anyone else. “

HMV assistant manager Caroline Sutcliffe-Handy was one of the dozens of shop workers evacuated with colleagues.

She said: “We were evacuated just after 10am. We saw smoke coming out of the top of TKMaxx and out of the doors at the back.

"Everyone followed procedures – this is what we’re trained to do.”

Staff had been left feeling the cold as they dashed to safety not stopping to grabs coats or belongings.

A spokesman for NFRS said: “Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service are currently in attendance at a fire on Newland Street, Kettering.

“Crews from Kettering and Rothwell were called shortly after 9:45am and have worked quickly to extinguish the fire.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reel jets to quickly get the fire under control and fully extinguished.

“Both crews currently remain on the scene to monitor hotspots.