Tesco Express store closed in Hemel Hempstead after fire

A Tesco Express store could be closed for a significant amount of time '“ after a fire caused severe damage.
The Tesco Express store in The DenesThe Tesco Express store in The Denes
The Tesco Express store in The Denes

Firefighters were called to the shop in The Denes, based in Barnacres Road, at 8.20pm on Sunday (February 25).

Residents above the Nash Mills store had to leave the building as fire staff carried out an evacuation of the surrounding properties.

The fire was out within an hour after four fire engines – two from Hemel Hempstead, one from Kings Langley and one from Garston – attended.

The supermarket said that there were no injuries as a result of the blaze, while Herts Fire and Rescue Service said all those who had been forced to leave buildings nearby had been accounted for.

A Tesco spokesman told the Gazette: “We can confirm that our Hemel Hempstead Barnacres Express store is currently closed following a fire on Sunday evening in the back of the store.

“We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience while we work to reopen.”

The supermarket did not specify a time for how long it expects the store to be closed, as it was still conducting assessments to identify the scale of the damage.

But one Tesco worker put on Facebook that there was ‘very extensive damage’ and that it could be shut for as long as two months.

Reports suggest that the fire may have started in the stockroom of the store, but no official comment has yet been made confirming that, or indeed on what may have started the fire.