A FIRE destroyed the inside of a city centre shop after it broke out in the Golden Cross arcade yesterday.

Five fire engines attended the scene after the alarm went off at health store Holland & Barrett.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service incident commander John Nixon said: “It was a severe fire on the ground floor in and around a large industrial refrigerator.”

He said the inside of the shop was “totalled”, adding: “There was severe smoke damage. It’s not going to be up and running tomorrow, that’s for sure.”

The shop was empty and no one was injured.

Police cordoned off the High Street end of Cornmarket Street from McDonald’s, outside the shopping arcade.

Fire crews stayed on the scene for several hours to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.

The arcade was expected to open as usual today.

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