Firefighters equipped with breathing equipment were still fighting the blaze six hours after they were called to the scene.

Sue Wright, wife of former England footballer Mark, told the Mail Online that she witnessed the start of the blaze and said it was sparked by an engine fire in a Land Rover.

"It was an old car that exploded as we were leaving the building. We were in our minibus and one of the kids shouted, 'there's a fire!"'

She added: "We've lost everything because our car was right next to the car that exploded. My handbag was in it, our cards, cash, everything. We just grabbed the keys and ran."

Mrs Wright said the cars were "just popping every couple of seconds".