Ocado fire: Fears of explosion and toxic leak prompts evacuation order
Written by News on 07/02/2019
Firefighters have evacuated people from properties near the Ocado warehouse blaze amid fears of a toxic gas leak or an explosion.
An exclusion zone has been put in place around the area in Andover, Hampshire, where the fire began in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
More than 200 firefighters have been battling to put out the flames and a school is now being used as a rest centre.
Deputy chief fire officer Andy Bowers said: “We have a risk of toxic release or a large cylinder explosion. We are working extremely closely with all of our partners to keep the public safe.”
The exclusion zone is 500 metres around the warehouse, situated on the Walworth industrial estate.
People who live in the area are being told to keep their windows and doors shut and stay at home unless otherwise told.
The fire, which began on Tuesday morning, was declared a major incident that evening and took a “dramatic turn” on Wednesday morning.
By lunchtime on Wednesday firefighters said they had the blaze under control, but it continues and there are now fears of a blast at the site.
Part of the warehouse roof collapsed but the firm said no members of staff or the public were injured.
Four firefighters had been treated for slight smoke inhalation, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Ocado has said the fire has caused “substantial damage” and will limit its ability to meet growing customer demand until it can shift operations to other warehouses.
The retailer said it had already been forced to cancel some customer orders and it was “working hard to resume normal service as soon as possible”.
Shares in the online grocer fell 8%, with the stock down 6.3% by close of trading on Wednesday.
Its hi-tech robotic warehouse provides around 10% of Ocado’s warehouse capacity, processing more than 30,000 orders a week.
(c) Sky News 2019: Ocado fire: Fears of explosion and toxic leak prompts evacuation order
