The blaze resulted in damage to over two thirds of the 70,000 to 100,000 fridge units stored on the site at Twinings Road in Trafford Park. Residents living up to 12 miles away from the site were warned to close windows and doors as a precautionary measure.
 The fire at the Britannia site in Manchester could be seen for miles around |
A statement released by the Greater Manchester Fire Service said: “Due to the large plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles around, specially trained fire officers worked with the Environment Agency, British Waterways and the Manchester Ship Canal Company to ensure that the hazardous by-products from the fire were kept to a minimum.”
“Although the fire investigation is still ongoing, early indications are that the fire was started deliberately,” the Fire Service said.
The statement added: “Due to the poor storage methods in place, access proved to be particularly difficult for the attending crews,” it said. “Water had to be pumped from the nearby Bridgewater Canal to fight the fire and at the height of the blaze nearly a hundred firefighters from across the county attended the incident.”
Investigation
The Environment Agency is now working to ensure the fire and the efforts used to extinguish it does not adversely affect the surrounding area. But, a spokesman for the Agency in the North West told letsrecycle.com it is to mount an investigation into this, the third fire the company has suffered in just over a year.
The spokesman said: “We are now going to have to carry out an investigation into the fire, looking closely at whether anything could have been done better at the site.”
The Agency found that there were insufficient fire breaks in the storage area when it last visited the Trafford site in mid-September. The spokesman explained: “We agreed a programme with Britannia for improving the site. If the work hadn't been carried out fully or sufficiently, the Agency will be very concerned.”
He added that fire and security measures would now be reviewed at all of the company's storage sites to ensure that provisions are adequate.
Britannia Import Export declined to comment on the incident at this time.
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