FACTORY
GUTTED
Building
in danger of collapse after massive blaze
In
a massive operation this morning 107 fire fighters were called out to a blaze
that devastated a Scunthorpe factory.
The
fire was reported just after 1am after an alarm had alerted staff at SSL
International plc on the Queens way Industrial Estate.
Fifteen fire
engines from all over Lincolnshire and Humberside tackled the blaze on Dunlop
Way as thick black smoke bellowed across the sky.
Humberside Fire
and Rescue Service's divisional officer, Mike Owen, said: "The fire was
getting bigger due to the nature of the contents. "As it is a plastics
factory, fire flashes and spreads very quickly in a short space of time.
"We
attempted to enter the building, but decided the fire should be tackled from the
ground so our fire-fighters were withdrawn as the safety of the crews is
paramount.
"Night
shift staff are thought to have been having their tea break when the alarm
sounded and the building was evacuated. Thank fully everyone got out."
Mr Owen
continued: "After the evacuation, our main concern was to stop the fire
spreading to other units.
"The
building will collapse, the roof will slowly cave in as it gets too hot and
loses its strength."
He urged nearby
residents to shut all their doors and windows because of the fumes plastics give
off.
"No-one
wants to be in those fumes if they drop," he said. Police Insp Andy Watson,
said: "Staff were evacuated from the building and there were no casualties,
however, there may be some damage to private cars as they were parked right next
to the building when the fire broke out."
The
blaze forced staff at nearby Menzies Distribution on Menasha Way to travel to
Doncaster to pack and distribute national newspapers to newsagents across the
area.
Employee Trevor
James (39) said: "No national newspapers could be distributed from
Scunthorpe's Menzies Distribution this morning.
"Staff
were not allowed on to the estate and had to go to Doncaster to pack and
distribute newspapers for the Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Gainsborough areas.
"Newsagents
will have got their newspapers but possibly one or two hours later than normal
this morning."
Both Dunlop Way
and Brigg Road were reopened to the public just before 8.30am but an eyewitness
described the scene as ‘traffic chaos'.
Fire-fighters
are expected to be damping down at the site for the rest of today with a number
of appliances still in use.
They have yet
to determine the cause of the blaze but police are not treating it as suspicious
at this stage.
The Scunthorpe
branch of SSL International plc is believed to employ more than 100 people. It
manufactures continence care products. The company was unavailable for comment
this morning.
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