A huge fire which started in the early hours has destroyed at least one industrial unit belonging to an upholstery firm in Blackburn.
The blaze broke out at around 1.30am on Saturday (February 17), with eight fire engines plus a number of specialist appliances, including the aerial ladder platform and stinger, sent to the incident, in Lower Hollin Bank Street.
Police cordoned off Lower Hollin Bank Street at the junction of Hamilton Street, and also blocked motorists from entering Chadwick Street at the junction of the A666 Bolton Road.
Fire crews fought the flames throughout the night and into the early morning, and people living in the surrounding areas were told to close their windows and doors as smoke billowed into the sky.
Flames could be seen above the roof of the unit, with eye-witnesses saying they were “as high as the building next to it”.
READ MORE: Eight fire engines tackle blaze in Blackburn
It is thought the unit and part of the building adjacent to it, which is believed to have housed thousands of pounds worth of sofas and other furniture, has been completely devastated by the fire.
One eye-witness, the owner of Blackburn Power Transmissions, which is located in the building next to the fire ravaged warehouse, said the smoke was “thick and black” and was “left shocked” after he was called out at 4am to provide access for the fire service.
Another worker from Blackburn Power Transmissions said on Saturday morning: “I found out about the fire on Facebook this morning and as soon as I saw the location I thought, 'oh no that's near work'.
"So I messaged my boss and then he phoned me and told me what had happened. He'd been called out at 4am by the fire service as they needed to access our building.
"Luckily, our building hasn't been directly affected by the fire but there's a lot of smoke damage and it's flooded too due to the water used by the fire crews.
"We really need to get the water out before it affects any of our machines and we are hoping to get that sorted today once we're let back in, but all the power has been turned off, and Electricity North West and Cadent are doing some work at the front of the building, so we don't know what's working with our machines, and what's not at the moment.
"I feel bad for the people actually living in the street though, they've had no electricity all morning and I don't know what time that's going to get turned back on.
"My boss said he was really shocked when he got here at 4am, he said the flames from the upholstery unit were as high as our building. It's frightening, it really is."
Engineers from Electricity North West and gas provider, Cadent, were also called to the scene, with electricity to properties in Lower Hollin Bank Street cut as the road outside the affected building was dug up to ensure all electricity to the site was isolated.
Power was expected to be restored to those homes on Saturday afternoon, but as of 3.50pm had yet to return.
On Saturday morning, fire crews were still tackling the blaze, although by 10am it appeared the flames has been fully extinguished with crews monitoring the fire and using the aerial ladder platform to dampen down and ensure no fire spread or reignition occurred.
Firefighters had also been drawing water from the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal to help them in their operations.
Police at the scene confirmed the fire had started in a warehouse belonging to an upholstery firm, and also confirmed no-one had been present in the building at the time.
The owners of the affected business are believed to have been at the scene on Saturday morning and have spoken with both the fire service and the police.
It is not yet known how the fire started or whether it is being treated as suspicious as investigations are still in their early stages.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “We are jointly investigating with the fire service to establish the cause of the fire.”
A Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At 1.35am, eight fire engines from Blackburn, Darwen, Clitheroe, Hyndburn, Tarleton, and Great Harwood, along with two stinger appliances from Blackburn and Skelmersdale as well as an aerial ladder platform from Hyndburn, attended a commercial building fire on Chadwick Street, Blackburn.
“The incident involved a building approximately 80x100m in size.
“Firefighters used three light portable pumps, two jets, two breathing apparatus, and the stinger and aerial ladder platform appliances to extinguish the fire.”
An update from the fire service at 7.40am on Saturday read: “Crews currently remain in attendance. If you are affected by smoke, please keep all windows and doors closed. Please avoid the area while we deal with this incident.”
Fire crews are expected to remain at the site overnight on Saturday and throughout most of the day on Sunday.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has been contacted for a full official statement.
Anyone with information can contact the police on 101 quoting log number 0112 of February 17.
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