The Manchester Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to the incident at 1.17pm on Monday and sent four fire engines to the Trafford Park factory.
On arrival, firefighters found a fire on the fourth floor of the building involving a gluten dryer.
The blaze was initially controlled by an inbuilt steam suppression system. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a thermal imaging camera to locate and control the fire from spreading. Fire crews remained at the site till the evening.
Hearing an explosion
Twitter user Rob Newbery described hearing an explosion coming from the factory and smoke pouring out of the building.
Another user, Steve Allen, recorded footage of fire engines entering the site, followed by images of smoke pouring out of the factory (see tweet below).
It was the second time in a fortnight that the fire service had been called out to an incident at the Cargill factory, after same dryer malfunctioned on November 2.
Twitter user Bella Fogelmark recorded a video of alarms going off following the fire two weeks ago (see tweet below).
Fire was ‘extremely disappointing’
A Cargill spokesman told FoodManufacture.co.uk the fire was “extremely disappointing” and the company was working to get the equipment working again.
“A dedicated team had worked tirelessly to get this equipment back up and running safely, the exact cause is still not yet known but we are undertaking detailed investigations to understand this issue,” said Cargill.
““We would like to thank the fire brigade for their swift response but want to reassure the public that there is no safety concern.”
Cargill confirmed that no one was injured in the fire.
Meanwhile, last month, fire crews helped evacuate Moy Park’s Factory in Ashbourne, Debryshire, after a chemical incident left two people hospitalised.