Firefighters called to fire at 2 Sisters factory

The fire broke out at 2 Sisters’ RF Brookes factory in Azalea Road, Rogerstone, near Newport in Wales at about 12.15pm on Sunday (December 20).

Six fire crews were called to the fire, which involved an industrial oven used for food manufacture, according to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

‘Heavily smoke logged’

The fire was extinguished by a suppression system over the industrial oven, but the building was left “heavily smoke logged”, the service said. The last crews left the factory at 2.30pm.

A 2 Sisters spokeswoman confirmed that there was a “very small fire” on one of the ovens at the site, which employs 1,200 people. 

“They put the fire out themselves and no one was injured nor was any property damaged. The fire brigade was called out as a routine precaution,” she said.

“The site is currently investigating the cause of the incident.”

2 Sisters acquired three Brookes Avana sites, comprised of RF Brookes chilled foods and Avana Bakeries, from Premier Foods in December 2011.

The Rogerstone site is one of the largest European food factories designed for producing and chilled and frozen ready meals, according to the 2 Sisters website.

The site produces chilled own-label meals for Indian, Oriental, Italian, British, nutritionally controlled and children’s ranges. Its customers include Marks & Spencer.