Huge fire destroys building on Telford industrial estate
A dozen fire crews have been battling a huge blaze through the night at a Telford industrial estate.
The fire, on Halesfield 7, started at around 1am on Wednesday, and led to firefighters from across Shropshire being called in.
At its peak fire crews from Albrighton, Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock, Newport, Prees, Shrewsbury, Telford, Telford Central, Tweedale and Wellington were all in attendance, including the aerial ladder platform, heavy pumping unit, incident command unit, water carrier and welfare unit. West Midlands Fire Service crews have also been drafted in.
Photos and video from the scene shows the building engulfed in fire, with flames and smoke pouring out into the night sky. Other images show the charred ruins of the industrial building.
Speaking at the scene, Guy Williams, Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service area manager for service delivery, told the Shropshire Star: “At the peak we had around 70 firefighters and officers here, including support from West Midlands and Staffordshire fire services.
“The building was fully involved in fire. It was well developed and the crews were dealing with very windy conditions.”
He said crews faced a number of challenges when tackling the blaze.
“We have to ascertain there’s no one in the building, the various hazards and it was night time so visibility can be an issue,” Mr Williams added.
“There were no persons involved in the fire and we’ve had no injuries on this.
“The fire has been contained to a single unit, which appears to be a storage facility, which is a heroic effort to keep it in that footprint of the building.
“It is a considerable success, especially with the wind conditions last night.
“There will be a fire investigation process to determine the cause of the fire.”
He said crews were damping down some hot spots and would be on site for most of the day.
Mr Williams said: “We are asking for patience from local businesses. We will be in the area but it’s business as usual on the industrial estate.
“There should be very little smoke, that should be reducing.
“I would like to thank our partners for giving us support.”
The fire service has said the fire is now under control, and crews are working with the Environment Agency to contain the water run off.
The cause of the blaze is being investigated.