FIREFIGHTERS rushed to a fire in a wheelie bin with recylcing inside at a new Oxfordshire estate this morning.

One crew from Bicester attended the incident near the Co-op at the Kingsmere development just before 6am where they were faced with the flames to the rear of a commercial property.

Using a hosereel and with the aid of a thermal image camera, they extinguished the fire and cooled the exterior of the brick building, minimising the damage.

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It was then discovered that the gas main had been damaged in the fire and was leaking outside, so gas engineers were calledout to isolate the supply and repair the pipe.

Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Services praised the Co-op staff and nearby neighbours for their 'swift actions'.

A post on Facebook said: "Swift action by the staff at the Co-op and residents in the area led to the fire service being called quickly and in turn, stopped this escalating into fire spreading into the property."  

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