Fire breaks out in café near Ipswich town centre

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service was called to St Matthew's Street just after 11.30am on Thursday.

The fire broke out at a café in St Matthew's Street on Thursday (Image: Giovanni De Lellis)

Pictures from the scene showed smoke billowing from Star Express All Day Breakfast Café.

A total of four appliances from Ipswich East, Woodbridge and Princes Street stations attended the incident.

Police were also in attendance to help with road management, with witnesses saying a cordon was briefly put in place around the café.

A 'stop' call was issued by the fire service a short while later at 12.12pm.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is yet to reveal the cause of the fire.

A smell of smoke was noticeable outside the premises after the incident, while a burnt-out appliance was seen on the pavement.

People in nearby shops described seeing smoke billow from the café as firefighters battled to extinguish the blaze.

One man, who gave his name as Jake, said the property had been vacant for several months.

The inside of the café was left scorched after the incident (Image: Archant)

He said: "We saw a load of smoke coming out of the front and back of the café. We then could smell smoke for quite a while, and then we saw it coming out the front – it was absolutely massive.

"We think the café had been closed for many months, so we are not sure what happened.

"It was one of those things you don't expect to happen. It definitely caused quite a commotion outside the shop."

A woman, who chose not to give her name, added: "There was a small amount of smoke to begin with, but then it progressed. One fire engine arrived, then two, then the police came and cordoned off the road.

"It's all black inside from what I can see. We saw they had to kick the door down to get inside.

"It must have been quite a big fire."