Fire at Dorchester Cafe Leads to Partial Building Collapse

Approximately 50 firefighters responded to a fire at a cafe in Dorchester, which resulted in the building’s partial collapse. The blaze originated at The Gorge Cafe on South Street shortly after 03:30 GMT. The Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service reported that the fire had also extended into the roof spaces of neighbouring properties. No injuries have been reported, though a number of local residents were moved to a safe place, and those living nearby were urged to keep windows and doors closed in the early hours due to the significant amount of smoke. The fire service stated that electricity supplies had been cut to South Street and parts of Trinity Street, both of which remain closed. A spokesperson said: “There is also an impact on water pressure, so we are using water carriers to try to minimise this.” They added: “We expect this incident to affect the town centre for some hours, and apologise for the inconvenience caused.” The cause of the fire is not yet known, but an investigation will be carried out when it is safe to do so, the fire service confirmed. The building features a stone plaque on its front wall, in the centre of the first floor, honouring Thomas Hardy. It stated the novelist and poet trained at the building as an apprentice architect to John Hicks between 1856-1862. The Thomas Hardy Society said it was “shocked and saddened” after hearing of the fire. Hardy designed and built his home Max Gate, just south of the town, and lived there from 1885 until his death in 1928. It is not yet known if the plaque survived the fire and the building’s collapse.