Firefighters in breathing apparatus have tackled a blaze at Jolly’s department store in Milsom Street in the centre of Bath, believed to have started in a stairwell.
Seven fire engines, a turntable ladder and a number of command vehicles were sent to the scene after fire alarms were activated just after 3pm this afternoon, and smoke was spotted inside the building.
The building, occupied by House of Fraser, has mixed residential and commercial use.
The store was evacuated before crews arrived and firefighters in breathing apparatus also assisted five people from the flats to safety.
The fire was found to have started in a communal stairwell serving the residential accommodation, but was believed to have been extinguished by a sprinkler system.
The fire had caused smoke to fill the stairwell and firefighters worked to ventilate the building.
Milsom Street was blocked to traffic by the various emergency vehicles that were attending the incident.