Owners of tyre firm ‘distraught’ by devastating fire as fundraiser set up

Owners of a tyre business which suffered a huge blaze last week have said they are “distraught” by the damage and do not know what the future holds.The main unit at Discount Tyres, also known as Trotties, in Saddlebow, was destroyed after a fire took hold in the early hours of Friday morning – with firefighters tackling the blaze for more than three hours.In an update on social media on Monday, the tyre company said it does not know what its future plans are but does hope to rebuild its premises on High Road.In an attempt to help the company, a member of the public has set up a GoFundMe page to help the owners of Discount Tyres.Organiser Bets Pennington said: “I set up this GoFundMe to help a popular local business.“Trotties has always been everyone’s go-to for many years. The devastation this fire has caused must be awful for all involved. “If the funds raised can help them in any way, I am sure it will be greatly received.” A spokesperson from Discount Tyres said on its Facebook page: “As imaginable, everybody is distraught and it’s very raw.“The business will be closed for a while. We currently do not know what future plans are, but we do plan to rebuild. “We do not know the cause at the moment.”

In a previous post on Friday, the spokesperson said Discount Tyres would be shut for the “foreseeable future due to a massive fire outbreak”.“Please do not try to visit us! We will update when suitable. Thank you for your understanding,” they added.So far, more than £2,000 has been raised for the “proud family business”, which opened in 1989 and has three generations of family working for the company. “We soon outgrew the original premises on Austin Fields and started our search for bigger premises,” its website adds.Crews from Lynn, Fakenham, Terrington, Massingham, Heacham, and Downham alongside the aerial ladder platform from Lynn and the Environmental Protection Unit from Sprowston were sent to the scene of the blaze.They wore breathing apparatus and used main jets and hose reel jets to extinguish the fire.A thermal imaging camera was also used to check for hot spots. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service advised residents to keep windows and doors closed when it posted on social media about the blaze at 5.04am.The stop message was called to the incident at 7am on Friday.To donate to the GoFundMe page, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/trotties-fire-disaster