Businesses horrified as 'dramatic' blaze ravages Cosham shop and devastates 'hard-working' owner

The fire happened at the Cosham Express store in High Street, Cosham, at about 10.50pm on Sunday.

Flames ravaged the shop, destroying almost everything inside the building, leaving it a charred shell.

Now neighbouring businesses in the shopping precinct have told of their shock and dismay at the news.

Nicola Godliman, manager of The Photo Express store, was heartbroken. The 44-year-old said: ‘What’s happened is horrible. The man who runs the shop is lovely. He works so hard and is in there from 6am to 10pm on his own.

‘The damage is really, really bad. It’s Christmas and this is his livelihood that’s been destroyed. It’s really sad.’

Rob Daws is the assistant manager of the Specsavers, opposite, was also shocked.

He said: ‘It’s quite distressing to see something like that. It’s very sad. The shop has been there for a long time.’

An outpouring of sympathy also came from Bramila Matasooriya, owner of nearby convenience shop. Widley Express.

She said: ‘We are competitors but we’re still human. What’s happened is very sad. The man who runs the store is very friendly and smiley. It’s a shock - this could happen to anyone.’

The cause of the fire is not known and is under investigation.

Fire crews from across the city attended the scene when the blaze ignited, with more than 20 being involved at its peak.

Cosham fire station’s crew manager Stephen Alchin said his team struggled initially to tackle the fire.

‘We were hampered to gain access because it had the metal shutters down,’ he said.

Firefighters had to cut through the metal shutters and then break the door down in order to get into the shop.

He added: ‘It was dramatic for a little while.

‘The fire was out by 11.10pm. The shop was badly damaged.’

Fire crews from Cosham, Southsea, Fareham and Portchester were all called to the fire last night.