A POPULAR Blackburn takeaway could be closed for months following a blaze which gutted part of the building.

Bosses at Charcoal Cuisine takeaway on Montague Street say they were preparing for the lunch time rush when they spotted smoke and flames coming from the industrial extraction system.

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Two fire crews from Blackburn and Hyndburn were called to the building at around 11.45am and used a dry powder extinguisher and breathing apparatus to put out the blaze.

Police also attended the scene and cordoned off part of Johnston Street while fire crews put out the blaze and made the building safe.

The first floor of the building which is used as a seating area was damaged by fire while the roof suffered smoke damage.

Manager of Charcoal Cuisine Asif Patel said: "We were preparing for lunch when my brother spotted some smoke and flames coming from the extractor ducting.

"I ran to get a fire extinguisher but it I think it was already too late as the fire had spread.

"I think a bit of fat in the extractor has possibly caught on fire and spread through the rest of the ducting.

"We don't know the cost of the damage yet but it looks like we are going to be closed for a few months. We were closed for a month from June 18th for Ramadan anyway, but this could still have a big impact on our business."

The family run business has been run by Naeem Patel for the past three years.

He said: "I wasn't in the building at the time but when I came down I was shocked to see so much smoke."

David Shaw, green watch manager from Blackburn fire station which attended the scene, said: "When we arrived there was a lot of smoke coming from the roof of the building.

"The ducting has had to be completely removed and the first floor of the building was damaged by the fire, while the roof suffered smoke damage.

"The fire was ongoing in the ducting for around two hours."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but it is thought that it started in an extractor fan ducting pipe.