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 | | Friday, 5 April, 2002, 09:16 GMT 10:16 UK Fires still burn at holiday resort  The fire is thought to have started in a catering block Fire crews are still attempting to put out a fire nearly 24 hours after it destroyed a large part of a holiday complex in Suffolk. Throughout Thursday night relief crews arrived at the Center Parcs complex in Elveden to deal with several smaller fires. The resort's glass dome, which housed restaurants, shops, leisure facilities and a tropical-style swimming pool, has been completely destroyed. All 3,500 guests and 400 staff escaped without injury - one contractor was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation. 'Dangerous conditions' The ongoing fires, coupled with the extensive damage to the main building, have hampered early attempts to discover the cause of the fire. Graham Smith, assistant chief fire officer at Suffolk Fire Service, said: "It's a particularly difficult fire to tackle due to the early collapse of some of the structure which has created dangerous conditions for the firefighters."
A Center Parcs spokeswoman said: "At the moment we don't know the cause of the fire but a full investigation is under way. "We are extremely proud of the way the fire brigade and our staff were able to ensure a safe and sensible evacuation of everyone at the site." At the peak of the fire, 150 firefighters from Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire were at the scene. They were assisted by helicopters from Suffolk police force. 'Nobody hurt' Late into Thursday afternoon families queued in the car park waiting to leave the centre after having their holidays cut short. Martin Robinson, chairman of Center Parcs UK, travelled from Holland to the centre. Mr Robinson said: "The first concern is that nobody has been hurt. The bricks and mortar are secondary considerations. "The whole of the Plaza has definitely been lost and I do not know how long the village will be closed for." Center Parcs are contacting people who have booked holidays at the Elveden site to ask them to postpone their breaks. | |
  See also: Top England stories now:  Links to more England stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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