A CLOTHES store was evacuated after a fire broke out.

Emergency services were called to J3 Clothing Design and School Uniform in Burnley town centre at around 11.30am today.

Around 40 people were stood outside the Standish Street shop after the fire broke out in the basement store rooms, crews said.

One of the employees tried to put the fire out himself when it first broke out and was later treated for smoke inhalation.

He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital but has since been discharged. No one else was reported injured.

The cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage but watch manager Damian Hartley has said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding it.

Mr Hartley said: "When we arrived the store was empty and everyone had got out.

"There was quite a lot of people milling around and put a cordon in place and a few shops had to stop going in shops.

"The damage was confined to the basement area but because of the smoke there is a chance some of the stock caught smoke."