Fire forces bakery evacuation

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A fire in an extractor fan forced an evacuation of Fine Lady Bakeries in Banbury. Image Alex Borland on PublicDomainPictures.net

Staff at Fine Lady Bakeries were forced to evacuate its Banbury factory yesterday morning (25 October), after a fire broke out in an extractor fan on the roof of the building.

The Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to the fire at 10:25am, sending two appliances from Banbury fire station and one from Hook Norton. On arrival, the incident was dealt with using on-site extinguishers.

After all staff had been evacuated, firefighters used a thermal imaging camera and specialist cutting equipment to establish that the fire had not spread to other parts of the roof or building. Employees were allowed to return to the factory soon after.

In a statement, the fire and rescue service said: “This incident was dealt with safely and effectively due to the liaison of crews and onsite staff, which allowed the incident to be resolved with minimal disruption to the site’s business.”

Meanwhile, a fire in an industrial cooker sparked an evacuation of a Bolton baker last week.

The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were alerted to the blaze at Park Cakes at about 4.25pm on Friday. Workers at the site were evacuated before fire crews arrived.