A HUGE blaze saw the Wycombe Summit Ski and Snowboarding Centre razed to the ground on Tuesday.

Eight fire engines and around 50 firefighters attended the blaze, which started shortly before 11am and spread from the kitchen to the roof.

Daryl Keen, divisional fire officer, said: "We are pretty sure it started as a kitchen fire.

"The actual cause we are trying to ascertain but we think it may have been a fault from a fat-fryer that has ignited somewhere in the equipment and spread from the kitchen to the roof."

Yesterday the fire service was still damping down the fire, which continued to smoulder because the wooden hut had collapsed and fire crews could not gain direct access.

They faced further problems because there were no water hydrants near the isolated site in High Wycombe They were forced to close off Abbey Barn Lane while they used a hydrant at the bottom of the hill in Abbey Barn Road.

The road was still closed to the public as we went to press.

The building was evacuated as the fire spread and skiers came off the slopes. Although the ground and first floor was destroyed, firefighters said they saved ski equipment in the basement floor, which was only affected by smoke damage.

The dry ski slopes were also saved from damage and the centre says it is planning to re-open as soon as possible.

Nick Gemmell, assistant manager of the centre's bar, said: "It is the worst time of year for this to happen.

"We are fully booked until New Year."