Aylsham Garden Centre Shut Down After Monday’s Fire

aylsham Garden Centre will remain closed after a blaze on Monday (February 16) that left the building without electricity and caused "significant smoke damage" inside, particularly around staff and till areas.

Aylsham Garden Centre shut while cleaning continues

Fire crews from Aylsham and Sprowston were called to the garden centre at 6: 53 a. m. on Monday and spent nearly an hour at the scene. Staff confirmed that no one was hurt in the incident, and said "there has been significant smoke damage inside the building, particularly around the staff and till areas. " The fire left the site without power.

Fire crews spent nearly an hour at the scene

The building has been inspected and "has been confirmed as structurally safe, " and professional cleaning teams are now working to restore affected areas. A spokesman said the centre would be closed to customers today and tomorrow while work continues, and that teams are focusing on removing smoke contamination around high-use areas.

Reopening staged; restaurant expected to return first

A spokesman for the garden centre said: "We will remain closed until at least the end of next week while this work takes place. " He added the plan is to reopen in stages, "with the restaurant likely to open first, followed by the garden centre once further areas have been cleaned and signed off. " Staff thanked the public for messages of support: "We’ve been overwhelmed by the kind messages and support from so many of you over the past few days — thank you. It really does mean a lot to our family and the whole team. "

The next confirmed milestone is the staged reopening described by the spokesman: the restaurant will be the first area targeted for reopening, followed by the rest of the garden centre once cleaning and safety sign-offs are complete.