A blaze which burned down Downham Market fire station, was caused by an electrical fault in an appliance.

A blaze which burned down Downham Market fire station, was caused by an electrical fault in an appliance.

The building on Priory Close, was destroyed in the fire on March 11, 2014, along with its retained crews's £300,000 fire engine.

The results were produced in a report by Cambridge Fire and Rescue Service, who carried out the investigation due to the intensity and damage of the fire. A spokesman for the service, said: 'We are in discussion with Norfolk Constabulary to consider options for a joint location at the site with shared accommodation.

'We currently have temporary accommodation in place and the station is fully operational from that location.'

The fire happened during the night, but the station which was built in 2006, was found to have no sprinkler system.

Head of community safety for Norfolk, Stuart Horth, said: 'Checks were made across all fire stations to check they were safe and have passed.

'Downham Market fire station didn't have a sprinkler system at the time, but when it is re-built the plan would to be include one.

'There is no legal requirement for a fire station to fit one we promote them as being the best way of reducing risk of life, and preventing the spread of fire.

'Sprinklers are only required when a building is very large. Not all fire stations have sprinkler systems but are fitted with fire detection and alarm systems.'

Norfolk fire service is still waiting for a full forensic study and said the inquiry was 'long and complex.'

The fire took place a year after the station received a new state of the art rescue pump. The site was also shared with Norfolk Police.

Costs to rebuild the station are expected to be around £1.5m and would be covered by insurance.