TWENTY reserve firefighters – who were standing in for colleagues on strike – were called to a "significant" blaze at Tesco Express in Chellaston.
Crews were called to a fire at the back of the store, in Derby Road, at around 5.55pm yesterday.
Residents said they could see "plumes of thick black smoke" billowing from the shop, forcing people to hold their hands over their mouths to avoid inhaling the fumes.
The blaze happened while members of the Fire Brigades Union were on strike – the first of eight consecutive days – in a continuing dispute with the Government over pensions and retirement ages.
Gavin Tomlinson, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service's assistant chief fire officer, said 24 firefighters were called to deal with the fire.
He said: "Twenty of these were reserve firefighters.
"They had had basic fire training and put out the fire.
"The fire was in the rear of the shop and had spread to the inside of the shop and the store area at the back.
"This was a significant fire which caused damage to the shop and considerable smoke damage.
"The shop will be out of business for quite a while, while they do what needs to be done."
At the end of the strike at 7pm, full-time firefighters took over.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and a fire investigation is currently being carried out.
Nine fire engines were reported to be at the site, with four separate crews from Ripley, Derby and Nottinghamshire at the scene.
Police were also at the fire and helped to direct traffic around Derby Road, which was closed while the incident was ongoing.
All Tesco staff left the building and there were no reported injuries.
John Tomlinson, caretaker at Holmefields Primary School, in Chellaston, close to the blaze, said he was leaving wok when he saw the fire.
He said: "I left school at about 6pm. I could just see thick black plumes of smoke.
"I came up Parkway and got to the island near Tesco but there was nobody here at this stage.
"The flames were at the rear of Tesco and were higher than the building.
"There were big flames and you could hear a loud crackling noise and bits of paper were floating around. It just smelt of burning plastic."
Resident Denise Bonser, 54, of Parkway, said the smoke was so bad it was "difficult to breathe".
She said: "I was coming home from work, in Ascot Drive, when I saw the smoke. I thought 'I hope it's not my conifers on fire!' I didn't know where it was coming from."
She added: "Then when I got to the island just before Tesco I saw the fire. The wind was blowing the smoke everywhere.
"It was difficult to breathe. I had to hold my hand to my mouth."
Adam Sanders, 18, of Derby Road, in Chellaston, said he rushed out to see the incident after his dad told him about the fire.
He said: "There were lots of fire engines by the time I got here.
"There was lots of smoke and you could smell it really bad.
"People said they could smell the smoke all the way from Harvey Road, in Allenton.
"The smoke was coming out of the front doors of Tesco. The staff were stood outside and out of the way."
Firefighters went on strike on Monday from 6am to 8am and from 5pm to 7pm.
They are due to strike each day until Monday, July 21.
A Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said there were no other incidents during periods of industrial action on Monday.
A spokesman for Tesco said: "We're obviously relieved that no customers or colleagues were hurt this evening.
"We'll be able to establish the extent of the damage over the coming days.
"We'll work hard to re-open the Chellaston Tesco Express store and get back to full service as soon as we can."
