Watch drone footage of huge fire on Northampton industrial estate 'most likely started accidentally' in skip
A huge fire on an industrial estate in Northampton was “most likely started accidentally” in a skip, according to the fire service.
Firefighters were called to the huge blaze at a unit on the Lodge Farm Industrial Estate in Northampton on Saturday July 11, just before 7pm.
A large smoke plume was issuing from a carpet recycling factory and residents nearby were advised to close their windows and doors. The smoke was visible across town, which Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) says led to nearly 100 calls to the control room. Eyewitnesses said they heard “banging, like fireworks”.
The A428 Harlestone Road was also closed while crews tackled the fire.
A spokesman for NFRS said: “The fire service worked into the evening to try and contain the fire, using water jets from height to extinguish the blaze. By 11pm good progress had been made and the number of appliances on scene was scaled down.
“By 2am on Sunday, the fire was largely out but with hotspots remaining. Crews remained at the scene throughout the day to continue monitoring the temperatures.
“A fire investigation was held on Sunday lunchtime, which found that the fire most likely started accidentally in a skip inside the factory.”
Station Manager Justin Abbott added: “This was a large industrial fire which required a lot of resource to bring it under control and stop it from spreading. Thankfully the factory was closed at the time the fire started and there were no injuries.
“I want to thank the hard work of all our fire crews for their professional response, and also to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding over the weekend while we dealt with this incident.”
Crews will return to the site regularly today (Monday July 13) to monitor temperatures and damp down any remaining small hotspots, but NFRS says the smoke plume has dissipated.
Video credit: Ben Hopkins.