Blaze at Ashford disused meat factory
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by Sam Lennon
Firefighters have been damping
hotspots following a major blaze at a disused food factory.
At it height 40 firefighters, six
engines and a specialist height vehicle were needed to battle with
the fire at its height.
It had swept through the former McLaren
Foods in Beaver Road, Ashford.
Ashford Fire Station crew manager Andy
Harris said: “When we got there part of premises were well alight
there was lots of smoke in the area.
“As we realised the scale of the fire
we found we needed more and more fire engines.”
Firefighters were called out at about
7.20pm on Friday 3 September to the former food plant at the
Beaver Industrial Estate.
The fire was believed to have started
in the main cold store and at first two fire engines were called
out.
Their numbers built up to six as the
scale of the fire was realised and an aerial appliance, with a
height ladder and water tower, was also called.
Crews managed to get the blaze under
control by 10.30pm and Beaver Road and Norman Road were closed to
traffic and they battled the flames.
Neighbouring businesses were also
evacuated.
They were still there the following day
damping down hotspots.
The main buildings had 70 per cent fire
damage and attached buildings were also damaged and smoke
logged.
Fire crews believe the fire was started
deliberately and say this is the third arson attack on the premises
in the last six months, the last one needing four pumps.
Police are investigating and are
treating the blaze as suspicious. The following day officers kept
the scene preserved to search for clues.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze.
Saturday, September 04 2010
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