A business owner was left terrified after a fire in an Oxfordshire town centre.

The incident occurred during the afternoon of Monday, August 5, as the blaze broke out at the building which houses Morfuse Barber in Wantage.

Market Square was cordoned off with tape by firefighters as three fire engines attended from Didcot and Abingdon fire stations.

Firefighters remained on the scene for several hours before leaving at 4.45pm once the fire was extinguished and a check was made to make sure everyone was safe.

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Fire crews were in Market Square.Fire crews were in Market Square. (Image: Ben Davies)

Eyewitness Ian Lawrence said: "I arrived at the scene just as the fire had been contained.

"I saw some of the fire crew wearing breathing apparatus exit the building.

"I spoke to another witness who explained to me one of the builders inside was using a blow torch inside to strip paint and this was the cause of the fire."

The Wantage Convenience Store, which is located next door to Morfuse Barber, was forced to close as fire crews arrived at the scene.

Owner Sachin Gupta said: “My son was working but I was at home.

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Wantage Convenience Store had to temporarily close.Wantage Convenience Store had to temporarily close. (Image: Farrell Monaghan)

“They closed the road and we had to close the shop as there was lots of smoke billowing out.

“There was no damage to our property luckily as the firefighters came around to check.

The 42-year-old took over the shop in January of last year and has never witnessed anything like the blaze in his time here.

“This is the first time that something like this has happened on the square and it was a good thing that no one was hurt,” said Mr Gupta.

“I was terrified and very worried that the fire could spread to our business but thanks to god everyone was okay and my shop was saved.

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“We reopened Monday shortly afterwards while the barber reopened yesterday after the firefighters came to check everything was okay next door.”

“I saw that building work was going on and then soon after this incident happened but we do not know about what caused it and no one could.”

The exact cause of the fire remains unconfirmed but several onlookers claimed that the blaze was caused by a blowtorch during building work.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the fire was “accidental” when questioned by the Wantage Herald.

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There were three fire engines in total.There were three fire engines in total. (Image: Ben Davies)

A spokesperson for the service said: “The fire in a premises at Market Place in Wantage was extinguished by crews using breathing apparatus.

“Crews left the scene at approximately 4:45pm.

“The cause remains of the fire was accidental.”

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