The fire started in the facility’s food filtration system, and subsequently spread to the roof, Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service said. It was believed the fire started accidentally.
All staff followed safety procedures and nobody was hurt, said McCain Foods.
A McCain Foods spokeswoman told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “We can confirm that there was a fire at the McCain Whittlesey site on the afternoon of Friday 27 January.
‘Operational in less than 24 hours’
“The fire brigade was called to the site and all plant health and safety procedures were followed. The site was operational in less than 24 hours. No employees were hurt as a result of the incident.”
Fire crews from Stanground, Whittlesey and Dogsthorpe were called to the processing factory in Peterborough. They used breathing apparatus and one hose reel to extinguish the fire.
A Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service statement read: “Crews from Stanground, Whittlesey, and Dogsthorpe were called to a fire at the McCain food processing factory in Funthams Lane in Peterborough. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and returned to their stations by 4.20pm.
‘Started in food filtration system’
“Sprinklers were activated after the fire started in the food filtration system but it then spread to the roof. The cause of the fire was accidental.”
The fire came just before McCain Foods revealed plans to cut 74 jobs at its Scarborough site, by closing the loss-making facility. It said its cold store operation was coming to the end of its “serviceable life”, and had to close to safeguard the long-term future of the Scarborough facility.
McCain processing factory fire – at a glance
- Firefighters called to scene on January 27
- Fire spread from food filtration system to roof
- Accidental cause