9:08 am, December 5, 2023
An Audi dealership has been forced to temporarily close after the emergency services were called to a fire involving an electric vehicle.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service rushed to the scene of Swindon Audi at around 9.30pm on Friday evening (Dec 1) after smoke was seen billowing from the site.
Specially-trained officers spent hours on the premises extinguishing the blaze and the Inchcape-run showroom was forced to close throughout the day on Saturday, the Swindon Advertiser reports.
Audi confirmed yesterday (Dec 4) that the site remains shut to the public but insisted that nobody was injured in the incident.
A spokesman for the German brand said: ‘Following a thermal incident at Inchcape Audi’s Swindon operation on Friday we are in the process of working with local authorities to understand the cause.
‘We can confirm that following work undertaken during the night, the site is secure and no one has been injured.
‘We would like to thank the emergency services and the various support agencies for their hard work and support to contain the damage.
‘The business is closed temporarily, and we continue to support the team and communicate with our customers throughout this period.’
After battling the flames, the fire service issued a smoke warning to surrounding areas late on Friday night.
The force has now confirmed that the blaze began within a vehicle workshop and involved an electric car. It has also said that the blaze was started accidentally.
A spokesperson said: ‘On arrival, crews found a fire within a vehicle workshop involving an electric vehicle.
‘Eight breathing apparatus wearers used main lines and mechanical ventilation to extinguish the fire.
‘At the height of the incident eight pumping appliances were in attendance from Westlea, Swindon, Stratton, Marlborough, Royal Wootton Bassett along with the Aerial Ladder Platform from Swindon and support unit from Devizes
‘The cause of the fire has been confirmed as accidental.’
Writing on Facebook, the dealership said it was closed due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
