INVESTIGATIONS into a major blaze that burned for more than two days in Kendal has been halted.

Specialist investigators have had to put the inquiry on hold after traces of asbestos were found in the area where the fire is believed to have started.

Kendal Station Manager Steve Sharrock said: "We were doing fire investigations with private investigators that were appointed by insurance companies.

"They do an assessment of the scene and decided there was asbestos in the area where they need to investigate in depth.

"Now the decision will be made about when they can get back in."

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Firefighters spent days at the scene of the fire just off Shap Road which ripped through a number of businesses, destroying an independent joiner's workshop, KTS Timber, and units belonging to Furmanite.
Water and smoke also damaged Westmorland Glass and Mardix.

But after teams sent samples off for analysis, they tested positive for asbestos.
"It's unsafe to be digging around in so it remains cordoned off," added Mr Sharrock.

Although Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service launched a joint investigation into the cause of the March 7 fire, it has now been handed over to private companies.

"It's a huge insurance issue," he said. "They will keep us informed and even though we won't be involved we still want to discover what the cause was."

He added the service did not yet know if specialists would be brought in, or whether the private company would be able to bring specialists in to continue the investigation.