MASSIVE BLAZE DESTROYS FOOD PROCESSING PLANT
Fire crews in the West Midlands responded to a devastating industrial fire in September. The incident at a bakery processing plant in Dudley caused significant damage and major disruption, necessitating a substantial response from multiple agencies. This unfortunate event adds to a series of fires that have plagued the food industry in recent years.
The major inferno erupted at the David Wood Baking facility in Crackley Way, Netherton on September 15th, igniting on the first floor around midday. Bringing it under control required 24 hours and the concerted efforts of 35 fire crews with over 100 firefighters, specialist equipment including a high volume pump, and two hydraulic platforms from the West Midlands Fire Service. The fire sent plumes of thick black smoke across the local area, leading to the evacuation of nearby residents.
In what is a heavily congested business area, the fire required huge resources in order to contain it and prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring businesses and residential properties. The bakery and the buildings were lost to the fire. Fire crews also used water to cool a number of flour silos and protect them from the fire. Adjacent businesses were also safeguarded from a spreading fire due to the presence of flammable materials.
Simon Barry, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, West Midlands Fire Service said: “This was a complex, challenging and potentially dangerous incident, to which our crews at the scene and several support teams responded admirably. Clearly, the impact on the business and its employees has been devastating. Our firefighters faced multiple risks as they battled to bring the fire under control and to prevent it spreading.”
For this food business, all employees evacuated safely but the over 4,000m2 property and the entire production plant was destroyed in the blaze. This will directly impact their business operations as they seek to recover, moving operations to their other facilities and then rebuilding premises. Employees based in Dudley face a wait to understand what will happen next.
Those observing the fire and early images would have considered that the arrival of the fire and rescue service would have limited the fire spread. However as noted this was a large developing fire in a complex building. It continued to spread despite the presence of the fire and rescue services.
The fire at the David Wood Baking facility bore similarities to another West Midlands food business fire in early 2023. The future of Midlands Chilled Foods at their site in Willenhall remains uncertain following a major blaze on January 16th when more than 60% of the 3,000m2 property was damaged. Additionally, three years earlier on the 29th August 2020, more than 100 firefighters and 20 fire appliances from Essex Fire and Rescue tackled a large night-time blaze at food distributor Kent Foods, based in Basildon. The fire and rescue service worked hard in arduous conditions but the 7,300m2 warehouse was ultimately destroyed.
Under current building regulations guidance, the businesses that suffered the devastating fires were not subject to any guidance for sprinklers. People are sometimes confused by this, as they see the consequences of the fire and the claims of meeting current regulations and wonder how this can be. The fire service faced fire situations in those cases where they could only act to limit and contain the fire. Surely, buildings that are completely damaged in a fire have fire loads within them that require forms of active fire protection such as sprinklers to limit a potential fire?
The sad fact is that they do not. Some may think that the food industry has limited combustible load and therefore fires are limited. This is not supported by the spate of food industry fires that are observed in the UK and across Europe. A large fire at the Speedibake bakery at the beginning of 2020 destroyed a large part of the bakery. The bakery is no longer operating and 160 jobs were lost.
Acting quickly to quell the spread of fire when it is first detected aids fire safety, limits damage and minimises impacts. Sprinklers have been shown to be effective to contain, control or extinguish fires in 99% of cases when caused to operate1.
The installation of a sprinkler system would have protected this food business in the long run. They safeguard against potentially disastrous losses and also aid life safety. Beyond these crucial benefits, sprinklers also protect the environment by avoiding CO2 emissions, reducing excess water use by the fire brigade and eliminating water supply contamination. Most importantly, they ensure business continuity. In the event of a fire, many businesses with sprinkler systems often resume operations within a matter of hours.
1Efficiency and Effectiveness of Sprinkler Systems in the United Kingdom: An Analysis from Fire Service Data – Optimal Economics May 2017
For more information about the BSA visit the www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org
Image Credit: West Midlands Fire Service
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