VILLAGERS are being warned to keep doors and windows closed while a fire by the A303 is tackled.

The blaze in Chicklade has led to the road being closed and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service advised nearby residents to keep their doors and windows closed because of the amount of smoke.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 3.43pm and found the roof of a single-storey building used as a café and shop was well alight.

The adjacent petrol station on the A303, south of Warminster, is not affected.

Over 40 firefighters are tackling the blaze, drawn from Tisbury, Warminster, Gillingham, Mere, Sherborne, Westbury, Amesbury and Wincanton.

They are being supported by a water carrier from Wilton. Additional resources are being called in from Andover, Yeovil, Salisbury and Hamworthy.

The affected building is severely smoke logged and the roof is well alight.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service firefighters in breathing apparatus are using hose reel jets and main jets.

No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire will be investigated once it is safe to do so, said a spokesman.

  • The smoke warning was lifted in the early hours of Tuesday and drivers were being warned to watch out for water on the road this morning as a result of the blaze being tackled.