Huge blaze at Mildenhall Stadium in West Row causes ‘significant damage’

A huge blaze has caused ‘significant damage’ at a motorsports stadium.

The fire service and police were alerted to a fire in a workshop at Mildenhall Stadium, in Hayland Drove, West Row, at about 5.30pm yesterday.

A fire service spokesperson said the main damage was to a storage building containing machinery and agricultural vehicles but this spread to neighbouring areas including the bar and offices at the stadium, which is home to speedway team Mildenhall Fen Tigers and hosts greyhound racing.

In a Facebook post, a spokesperson for the stadium said: “As plenty of you have seen, Mildenhall Stadium was the victim of a huge fire on Tuesday - causing significant damage at the venue which we have worked so hard at to make it one of the most popular oval motorsport tracks in the country, hosting countless events and enjoyed by thousands.

“We would like to confirm that thankfully nobody was injured during the devastating scenes, and would also like to thank the firefighters who tackled the blaze.”

In a statement on its website, Spedeworth Motorsports said: “As the leader in promoting oval motorsport events in the country, our commitment to improving the facilities at our venues was no clearer than at Mildenhall - with significant investment and hours of hard work being undertaken at this much-loved venue prior to the fire.

“We are devastated at what has happened, but remain committed to getting the venue back on the map, and back on track to play host to more oval motorsport in the future.

“We will be making no further comment on the matter until an official investigation into the fire is completed.”

Multiple crews from Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire attended the blaze, with the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service log recording 32 appliances.

At 11.48pm, a Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said they were scaling down.

They said at its height eight fire engines from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service and Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service attended along with a turntable ladder, command unit and water carriers from Suffolk and Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service and RAF Mildenhall.

The incident was under control by 3.39am and crews remained at the scene damping down and checking for hotspots.

At about 1pm, a fire service spokesperson said: “We now have only one appliance on scene monitoring and supporting the fire investigation.

“It is expected crews will leave the scene later this afternoon. The investigation is currently being carried out, so no cause identified as yet.

“The main damage was to a storage building containing machinery and agricultural vehicles but this spread to adjacent areas including the bar and offices.

“Crews did extremely well to prevent spread to residential properties on the site.”

West Suffolk Cllr Don Waldron, who represents The Rows, said the stadium was the area’s biggest business.

He said he believed 25 per cent of the stadium had been affected by the fire and it would take time to rebuild.

Cllr Waldron said there could be a wider impact on the local economy including hotels in the area.

He said: "Ultimately it's employment for people which is now gone. Meetings like the one that's supposed to be next weekend draws people from all over Europe. Hotels win, shops win, it's a business that supports the community.”

Cllr Waldron said he would support the stadium if he can.

No animals were at the stadium at the time. Racing had been due to be held that night but it was called off due to the hot weather.

Additional reporting by Ross Waldron.