Fire at Hartlebury furniture unit not being treated as suspicious

Firefighters from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were called at 16.27pm on Sunday, April 26 to a fire in the open off Oak Drive.

At its height, there were 11 fire engines on site, including crews from Wyre Forest, Droitwich, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Malvern, Ross-on-Wye and Bromsgrove.

Smoke from the fire at Hartlebury Trading Estate could be seen from miles around. Photo by Paul Field

Smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from miles around and residents in the vicinity were urged to close their windows and doors.

The fire involved a 185m by 64m two-storey commercial unit used for flat pack storage and distribution, owned by Earlybird Furniture, which was severely damaged by the fire.

The blaze was extinguished using five main jets, three hosereel jets, one compressed air foam system and two breathing apparatuses. One aerial ladder platform was also deployed.

The incident was scaled back to one relief pump at midnight, when firefighters damped down and turned over hot spots.

Fire crews carry out a reinspection

A thermal imaging camera was used to check the premises and a reinspection was carried out on Monday morning.

Police attended to control traffic and confirmed they have not been asked to investigate any suspicious circumstances. There were no casualties. 

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service group commander Martin Lown said: "Good, assertive early tactics helped in fighting the fire and the compartmentalization of the building assisted in preventing any spread. Otherwise it could have been a lot worse.

The fire caused severe damage to a furniture unit

“Computers were also retrieved from a two-storey office block to assist in maintaining business continuity.

“And we worked well with Severn Trent on site in redirecting our water supply to a different hydrant in order to minimize the impact on the community.”