Video: Go-kart centre staff vow to stay on track

The blaze which hit Rednal Karting, near Oswestry, at just after midnight on Saturday caused thousands of pounds of damage, destroying karts, equipment and even the manager's own race car.

But with the track itself not affected by the fire, those who run the popular Shropshire attraction are hoping to have at least some racing taking place again as early as this week – and the track has already been in use just 36 hours after the fire.

Owner Mike Rees, who has run the centre for six years, said the business was urgently sourcing new karts and other equipment to get it back up and running.

Fighting back tears the morning after the blaze, Mr Rees, from Whitehurst near Chirk, said: "We will bounce back from this and be stronger than ever – we have to.

"I have a wonderful team here and we will ensure Rednal Karting is back as soon as possible."

Tom Wrigley, the centre's manager, had his own Ginetta GT4 race car, as well as cups and trophies he had won in karting and car racing since the age of nine, destroyed in the blaze.

Mr Wrigley, 22, a former Ellesmere College and Shrewsbury Sixth Form student, was due to be racing next weekend.

"That car is my life and there is nothing left of it," he said.

A staff member at the site said yesterday that an owners' day at the track had gone ahead with dozens of people in attendance.

She said: "We have got people using the track today.

"We're also in the process of setting up a temporary office so that people can sign in and we can open again hopefully later this week."

She said insurance assessors were due to visit the site today, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but not thought to be suspicious.

She said: "We are devastated but very positive that this is not going to be the end of Rednal Karting, which is a very popular attraction."

The paintball and laser-battle side of the business has not been affected and is operating as usual, she added.

The blaze at the business on the Rednal Industrial Estate, a former Second World War RAF base, was so intense that firefighters could not get access to the inside of the burning building, which contained the reception and waiting room as well as workshops and storage.

Crews from stations in Baschurch, Ellesmere, Oswestry and Shrewsbury spent more than four hours bringing the fire under control.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service group commander, Neil Griffiths, said fire crews found flames leaping from the building and were told gas cylinders could be inside. He said: "We made attempts to enter the building to retrieve those cylinders and hopefully then contain the incident, but because of the intensity of the fire we were unable to get inside.

"There was also concern about a field of tinder – dry standing corn – adjacent to the fire and the crews ensured that sparks from the fire did not get into the field, which would have gone up very quickly.

"With such a rural location one of the main problems was finding enough water."

He said a water bowser and heavy pumping unit were used in the operation and more than a mile and a half of heavy duty hose had to be laid from the centre to the Montgomery canal after water from a nearby pond had been used up fighting the blaze.

Crews were able to save adjacent buildings where equipment is stored and stop the fire from spreading to the neighbouring field and ensure the crops did not also go up in smoke.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.