A FIRE has destroyed 39 Skoda vehicles and a chip van, leaving dozens of customers in limbo.
The inferno tore through the motors at a dealership on Hamp Bridge Road, in Bridgwater, Somerset on November 11.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue rushed to the scene following reports of black smoke billowing from the compound before later confirming that 39 vehicles had been destroyed by the fire.
A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said: “A fire investigation has been completed and the cause of the fire is undetermined.”
Local Robert Taylor, 60 owns The Big Chipper van in the area and revealed the extent of his own damages.
Robert said following the blaze: “The cars are burnt to a crisp , all the wheels have melted, that’s how intense it was.
“The front of my engine has burnt out now, and its all melted the plastic and all that.
“There was 38 Skoda’s in the compound, I got a message this morning from my daughter to say there was a fire by the yard overnight.
“There’s no work now and I’ve got to wait for insurance, obviously how long is that going to take, we don’t know.
“We’re in limbo, it’s a bit of a shock really.”
It comes just months after a family-run used car dealership was said to be facing closure after a devastating fire which destroyed the entire site.
Ron Skinner & Sons in Blaenau in Gwent, Wales, was struck by tragedy when a blaze gutted the dealership in 2024.
Emergency services rushed to the site but unfortunately, the used car warehouse was ruined.
Resilient bosses didn’t give up and revamped the unit next door to be their new location – Unit E on the Tafarnaubach Industrial Estate.
However, in the aftermath of the blaze, the car company didn’t fully complete the paperwork.
Bosses failed to apply for an official change of use of the upgraded unit.
This meant they have been operating illegally in the space since December.
The company urgently applied for retroactive planning application, under the name Mr O. Llewellyn, in a desperate bid to save their converted unit.
On the website, the application states: “In August 2024 the company’s premises experienced a devastating fire which destroyed the entire building, equipment and some 350 of the vehicles parked within and near it.
“The existing building was destroyed and the remaining structure unsafe.
“In the interim, to maintain continuity of its business, the adjoining and at that time, vacant unit and its yard curtilage, was re-purposed to serve as a showroom, sales area, vehicle storage yard and administration offices and staff transferred across from the original site.”
