THE centre of Bordon ground to a halt on Tuesday as a severe fire tore through buildings at Highview Business Centre in the High Street.

Around 50 firefighters were deployed to the blaze, which gutted the rooves and upper floors of units at the industrial estate.

Arson is not suspected.

It is thought the fire started in the roof of one of the buildings, but Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said it could not comment on the likely cause. However, Hampshire Constabulary said the investigation was ongoing and confirmed the incident “isn’t being treated as arson”.

To assist firefighters, the police closed the A325 for more than two hours, reopening it at around 5.20pm.

Eight fire engines tackled the blaze, including crews from Bordon, Alton, Basingstoke, Cosham, Rushmoor, Petersfield, Grayshott and Farnham fire stations, together with a ladder platform and a command-centre van.

The lofts of two units were said to be completely destroyed, as were the first floors of three units.

One eye-witness said the timber roof was “weak and brittle”, which is why the flames spread so quickly and why it “collapsed so badly”.

Nick Ashman, owner of the Aim Clinic for private healthcare, said the fire started in unit two (listed as Xtralode Ltd), next door to his business.

Now his premises, at Highview’s unit three, has been left with no roof and no upper floors, which are “completely wrecked”.

As well as the lose of furniture, the blaze has sent his appointments into disarray.

“We’ve had to cancel the rest of the week, but we’ve now managed to find premises across the road,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll be back up and running soon.”

It is thought financial consultant Paradigm has also been forced to move operations elsewhere as a result of the incident.

Richard Bush, from oceanographic equipment provider Swale Technologies, is also based at Highview and described the fire as “quite a blaze”.

Initially he mistook the smoke for dust, but then received a phone call from his daughter asking if he was still at work, before she explained that he might consider leaving as the unit opposite his was on fire.

“So we went outside and watched,” he added.

Cilla Holden, from Euro-Pharma Machinery Limited, said that as well as “upheaval”, the business was left without power while the fire was tackled.

And Debbie Terry, from Adelco Screen Process Limited, told the Bordon Herald that the fire had left many staff and their vehicles trapped in Highview.

“Half our staff were out at lunch, and weren’t allowed back in,” she explained. “We’re right at the back and all we saw were flames and lots of firemen.”

A spokesman from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said it may be “quite a while” before anything “conclusive” emerges from the fire investigators currently on scene.

“Crews were called to a severe fire in a business complex in the High Street in Bordon,” he said in a statement.

“The fire spread through the first floor and loft areas of four units and around 50 firefighters were needed to deal with the blaze.

“They used three jets, a hose reel, eight sets of breathing apparatus and the aerial ladder platform to extinguish the flames.

“The loft area of two units was completely destroyed, as were the first floors of three units. There was also the partial collapse of other parts of the building.

“No-one was injured in the incident and a joint investigation by police and fire is underway to establish the cause of the fire.”

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman added: “We were called by the fire service at 2.20pm yesterday as they were on route to a fire at Highview in Bordon.

“The fire isn’t being treated as arson at this time and the investigation is being led by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

“We put road closures in place which were lifted at around 5.20pm.”