Smoke poured out of a tanning salon window after a sun bed caught on fire.
Firefighters were called to the Heavenly Heat tanning shop on Front Street in Chester-le-Street just before 12.30pm on Friday.
Initially three fire engines from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service were sent to the scene but when the first one arrived, they said they did not require any further assistance.
Durham Constabulary officers were called to the scene and the road was closed temporarily while firefighters used a hose reel to put out the flames.
The sun bed fire was extinguished and a ventilation fan was used to clear smoke out of the building.
A number of people stopped to watch the emergency service response on the busy high street.
At first it was reported that there were people still inside the shop but the fire crew found that everybody was accounted for.
Firefighters and police left the scene at around 1pm.
