THE Electric Avenue gaming centre in Minehead will be closed for several months after a fire seriously damaged the building and equipment last Thursday.
The blaze was discovered by a dog walker who alerted staff at the nearby Co-op store.
Devon and Somerset fire-fighters dealt with the blaze before it could spread through the building and into neighbouring properties.
A spokesman said: “The fire started in the office at the rear of the premises and was just breaking out into the rest of the property when it was extinguished.
“The damage to the rear of the property was significant with heat and smoke damage severely affecting the rest of the premises and the machines.”
Electric Avenue is operated by Tacara Ltd which also runs the Arkade on the seafront.
Managing director Marcus Kravis said: “A massive thank you to the fire crews whose prompt attendance no doubt saved not only my building but possibly others.
“The fire appears to have started in the corner of the office where we kept a hoover but currently the actual cause of the blaze is undetermined.”
The office was destroyed and the heat and smoke cause extensive damage to the ceiling and some of the equipment.
Electric Avenue will now be closed for several months for repair work to be done on the building and gaming machines.
The Arkade was scheduled to remain closed during the week for the winter months but the company has temporarily transferred the Electric Avenue operation to the seafront and the Arkade will now be open every day from 9am to 8pm except for Christmas Day.
The company said it will also be relaunching its online gaming site ‘myarkade.co.uk”.