Police investigate after 'major fire' burns down a Northampton restaurant - the Red Hot World Buffet

The 'Red Hot Incident' carried on through the night, as the surrounding roads and a cinema were evacuated

People evacuated from the nearby cinema watched on as fire crews tackled the Red Hot blaze (YouTube)

A restaurant called Red Hot World Buffet and Bar in Northampton has burned down after it was engulfed in a massive blaze late last night.

The “major” fire, which started at 11pm in Sixfields Leisure Park, saw staff forced to flee and a nearby cinema evacuated.

No one was injured in the incident, which nonetheless destroyed most of the building and forced several nearby roads to be closed off.

A joint police and fire service investigation has now been launched into the cause of the fire.

Terry Considine, of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, told BBC News that officers arrived to find the roof of the Red Hot restaurant ablaze.

Keeping followers updated on what it described as the “Red Hot Incident”, the fire service’s Twitter official account (@northantsfire) said early this morning the “Gas Board [was] still working in the area”, and that “Fire Service will be in attendance for several hours”.

A restaurant spokesman told the BBC: “No customers were present at the time of the incident and all members of our staff were safely evacuated.

“The cause of the fire is currently unknown.”