SUPERMARKET bosses yesterday pledged to re-open a store ravaged by a dangerous fire “as soon as possible”.

The Co-op said it would work hard to re-open its High Street branch in Kidlington and neighbouring travel firm following the overnight blaze.

Up to 50 firefighters from Woodstock, Rewley Road and The Slade, Headington, tackled the fire, which Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said posed “great risk” to crews.

The alarm was sounded at 4.50am with firefighters from the service’s HQ in Sterling Road first on the scene.

About a quarter of the supermarket was destroyed, with the whole store damaged by smoke.

The travel branch and offices above suffered smoke damage from the blaze, which started near the front of the store. The cause is not yet known, but is not being treated as suspicious.

A spokesman for The Midcounties Co-operative said: “This was a serious fire.

“We will be working hard to re-open the store as soon as possible but at this early stage it is not possible to say when that will be.”

The 51 staff will work at other stores.

Fire service area manager Mat Carlile said: “Our guys saved the store, effectively.

“With these sort of things you have so many combustibles in there, you have papers, alcohol, all sorts. These tend to go up very quickly.”

A quarter of the ceiling collapsed and, had it not been stopped, the three-storey building – which houses police offices on the top floor – would have been destroyed, he said.