Three fire engines remain at the scene of a major blaze at a car dealership, which has been confirmed to have started in a bin shed.
Dramatic pictures showed thick black smoke billowing from the building, which is believed to be the Nissan dealership in Bircholt Road, Maidstone.
This Nissan dealership in Maidstone is on fire
A witness who saw the blaze before fire engines arrived shortly before 3.30pm said he could hear “sizzling and popping” from the scene.
He said: “It looks like it has started in a workshop at the back of the dealership, in the rear of the building.”
Smoke was also seen blowing across to the A274 Sutton Road and it has now been confirmed that the blaze started in a bin shed and spread to the commercial property.
At its height, six fire engines and a technical rescue unit attended the scene.
Crews, wearing breathing apparatus, have been using main jets to extinguish the flames.
Thick black smoke is billowing from the building in Bircholt Road, Maidstone
However, two hours later at 5.20pm, a spokesperson for Kent Fire and Rescue (KFRS) confirmed firefighters have been making “good progress” tackling the blaze.
They said: “People living or travelling near Bircholt Road, Maidstone are no longer being advised to close windows and doors due to smoke coming from a commercial premises fire.
“Firefighters have made good progress over the last hour, and the incident has been reduced to three fire engines.”
Kent Police is in attendance for traffic control.
More as we have it.