Firefighters tackled a dramatic van fire outside a Tesco store earlier this afternoon.
Crews from Clevedon and Nailsea were called to the scene today at around 12.36pm (December 4).
On arrival, they promptly extinguished the blaze and prevented it from spreading to a nearby building.
One witness claimed the store was evacuated due to concerns that the van contained flammable materials, Somerset Live reports.
Lor Fossard said: "I just came out of Clevedon Tesco and as I went around the corner on my bike, a van was slightly on fire.
"I was one of the first there. Everybody had stopped in the petrol station.
"The fire brigade had been called but by the time they got there, the whole van was on fire.
"The van driver said the engine all of a sudden caught on fire. He said to stand back as there were explosive chemicals in the van.
"By the time fire brigade came, Tesco had evacuated the building as the fire was very close to the store, everybody then of course crowded around."
Avon Fire and Rescue said the cause of the fire is thought to be accidental.
A fire service spokeswoman said: "We were called at 12.36pm to one vehicle on fire outside a food store in Clevedon, Bristol.
"Crews from Clevedon and Nailsea attended the scene and two firefighters used two high pressure hose reels to extinguish the fire.
"Owner of the vehicle was in attendance and the store was unaffected.
"The cause of the fire is thought to be accidental."
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