A lorry fire caused the blaze at a packaging warehouse in Biggleswade last night, the emergency services have confirmed.
More than 70 firefighters were called to the scene to tackle the fire at Bedfordshire Growers, off Potton Road, just after 7pm last night.
And a senior firefighter said at lunchtime today that debris within the building was still burning.
Crews were called to reports of a lorry fire, and found on arrival that the fire was “well developed and had spread to a warehouse building”, a fire service spokesman said.
Firefighters from Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire fought the fire using hose jets and breathing apparatus, supported by two aerial platforms.
Strategic Operational Commander Chris Ball – who led the fight against the blaze – said that while it was all quickly contained, some parts of the warehouse are still on fire.
He said: “Although it was hard work, firefighters brought the fire quickly under control – containing it to the part of the building originally affected, and preventing it from affecting the surrounding buildings and neighbourhood.
“There were still hot spots of fire within the building this morning, and firefighters at the scene are dealing with these.
“However, due to the roofing and walls collapsing there is considerable debris within the building that is still burning – and these are hard to reach due to the fact that the building is unsafe to enter.
“This will be monitored throughout the day, and a full fire investigation will be completed to identify the cause of the fire.”
Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller thanked all those involved in controlling the fire.
He said: “I’d like to thank all those involved, from control staff to firefighters on the ground, who worked hard to get the fire under control quickly.
“They did a great job in difficult conditions.
“I extend our thanks to our colleagues from the police and ambulance service – along with our colleagues from Cambridgeshire – and a special thanks to the rapid relief team who attended to provide refreshments to the operational team.”
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