A historic building in a Dorset town where the Victorian novelist and poet Thomas Hardy worked as an apprentice architect has been badly damaged by fire.

More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at the terrace in the county town of Dorchester, which was known as Casterbridge in Hardy’s novels.

Today, the property on South Street is a cafe but in the mid-19th century it was the offices of the church architect John Hicks, who took on Hardy as an apprentice at the age of 16.

Hardy worked as an architect in London after his early years in Dorchester before the success of his novel Far from the Madding Crowd (published in 1874) allowed him to focus completely on his writing.

Mark Chutter, the chair of the Thomas Hardy Society, said: “I am saddened by the news, as this is the building where Hardy trained as an apprentice architect. It was a very important building in Hardy’s life but sadly it looks like it has been completely gutted.

“Hardy had an architect’s eye in the way he described buildings, which particularly comes across in the Mayor of Casterbridge. I will be discussing the fire further with the council of management of the Thomas Hardy Society and Dorchester town council.”

The cause of the fire, which took hold at about 3.30am on Monday, is being investigated. A number of residents were evacuated but no injuries have been reported.

Debris was strewn across the road in front of the building and its facade completely collapsed. People were urged to keep their windows closed to avoid smoke inhalation.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire fire service said crews from Dorchester, Weymouth, Bridport, Portland, Wareham, Beaminster, Blandford, Charmouth and Poole attended.

The spokesperson said: “We were called to South Street, Dorchester at 3.34am this morning for a serious fire involving a mid-terrace commercial premises. The building has partially collapsed, and there is significant smoke in the local area. The fire is also affecting two adjacent properties via the roof spaces. No injuries have been reported, but a number of local residents have been moved to a safe place.”

A plaque on the facade of the building recorded that Hardy worked there from 1856-62 as Hicks’s pupil.