7:15 am, July 23, 2023
A JLR site devastated by a huge blaze earlier this year is poised to reopen its workshop.
The Inchcape-owned Preston dealership, which opened in 2018, was forced to close its aftersales service and open a temporary showroom following the fire early on April 7 – Good Friday.
Eleven fire engines tackled the blaze at its height and drone footage shared by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) showed flames ripping through the roof of the Dual Arch showroom in Bluebell Way, Fulwood.
It took more than 24 hours before the incident could be officially closed and an LFRS investigation was launched that lasted three months.
Nobody was injured, and at the time it was suspected that an electric vehicle inside the showroom may have caused the fire, but that was subsequently disproved.
Sales have continued via a temporary showroom but work on cars had to be carried out elsewhere while the aftersales area was repaired.
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Inchcape now says the workshop will reopen early next month, according to the Lancashire Post.
A spokesman was quoted as saying: ‘Our Preston JLR site has had a temporary showroom in place since June, enabling us to maintain services for our customers, and during the same time we have conducted a clean-up operation in our workshop areas.
‘We’re pleased to confirm from early August these will reopen to aftersales customers. All details will be available on our website.’
The spokesman added: ‘We’ve worked in conjunction with various experts to determine the cause of the fire and know that the fire began in the top floor of the dealership, therefore we can be confident that the cause was not an electric vehicle.
‘Having ruled out multiple alternate possibilities, the investigation has concluded the likely cause was an electrical fault.
‘We continue to support our colleagues during this time, and very much look forward to welcoming customers back from August onwards.’
Meanwhile, an LFRS spokesman was quoted as saying: ‘The fire is believed to have been accidental. However, we were unable to determine a cause due to the damage sustained and, as such, we are no longer investigating.’
A number of high-end vehicles were damaged but Inchcape has refused to be drawn on how much the fire has cost it.
Flashback image via Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service shows the blaze at the JLR dealership
