FIREFIGHTERS have recorded cause of a blaze inside Colchester's former Homebase store as deliberate.
Four crews from Colchester, Wivenhoe and Brightlingsea were called to the derelict retail unit in St Andrew's Avenue at about 5.20pm yesterday.
The building is set to be turned into a Lidl supermarket.
On arrival crews reported the building, which measures about 100m x 30m, was 50 per cent smoke logged and the fire had broken through the roof.
Crews had the fire under control by around 6.30pm, but they had to stay at the scene for some time in order to monitor any hotspots.
At 7pm the officer in charge reported that the fire had been completely extinguished.
An Essex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "The cause has been recorded as deliberate."
The former Homebase unit has been empty since 2018.
When it is turned into a new Lidl it will create 40 jobs for residents.
An exact timeframe for when the supermarket could open has not yet been confirmed.
Essex Fire and Rescue Service and Lidl have been contacted for comment.
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