Firefighters Were Called To Chessington World Of Adventures On Saturday

Chessington World of Adventures was forced to shut this Saturday after a fire broke out at a cafe.

Firefighters from across London were called to the site just after 08:30 and because the incident happened before the venue opened, nobody was injured or hurt.

The incident took place at what would have normally been a packed cafe and the blaze also spread to a nearby Santa's grotto. Two reindeers were moved to safety by the London Fire Brigade and were unharmed.

A statement released by the Surrey-based theme park revealed the fire at the Creaky Cafe was brought under control at 11:20 but the structure has been ravaged and will no longer be usable.

Customers who had already made the trip to the site were said to be "devastated" at the park's closure.

One man, Paul Sharpe, 41, from Maidstone arrived on the Friday night before the fire with his wife and two sons and told the BBC: "We came out to the car and just heard noise. We saw smoke billowing and lot of people from Chessington running towards it. We saw lots of flames and as I was out here I heard one of the staff say it was in the grotto.

"We went up to our room and checked the website, and Chessington said a fire was started in one of the cafes."

A road close to the theme park - the A243 - was closed for a short period of time but was later fully re-opened to traffic after emergency service staff began to move away from the scene.

Surrey Police have now said they will launch a full investigation into the blaze to discover if arson or a health and safety violation were behind its ignition.

Other details on the case have not been revealed but one station manager involved in tackling the fire said: "I can confirm that Santa's reindeer are safe and well and ready to be collected on Christmas Eve."

Expert Opinion

It is a relief that no one was injured during this incident but it is essential that a full investigation is carried out to discover the cause of the fire. <br/> <br/>“Health and safety protocol in all public places such as theme parks should be at the highest standard. In this case it is essential all cafes and eateries are thoroughly examined so that that the same incident does not occur again. <br/> <br/>“Through our work we have seen cases where people have suffered significant injuries at theme parks, whether on rides or in public places. Both owners and operators have a duty of care to their customers. Parks of this kind remain very popular throughout the year and everything must be done to ensure safety is the number one priority at all times.” <br/>