Warehouse fire under control as major incident ends

BBC News

23-05-2025

Update:
Date: 17:25 BST
Title: Live updates coming to a close
Content: With the scale of the warehouse blaze being downgraded after hard work by fire crews, we will bring our live updates to an end.
You can read the latest on the fire here, which broke out early this morning on an industrial estate in Rushden, Northamptonshire, and at its height forced emergency services to declare a major incident.
BBC Look East will report on the blaze on tonight's programme from 18:30 BST on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, while BBC Radio Northampton will also communicate updates on its news and travel bulletins.
Thank you for following.
Update:
Date: 16:46 BST
Title: Rushden fire is 'under control'
Content: The fire service says the blaze at Sanders Lodge industrial estate is now "under control and contained within the site", despite smoke continuing to billow from it.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service says a warning remains in place for local people to stay away from the site and to keep windows and doors closed due to the smoke.
Eight fire appliances, two aerial appliances and a specialist high-volume pump remain at the scene, but this has been scaled down from the height of the incident.
Assistant chief fire officer Phil Pells says there will continue to be an emergency services presence overnight and that road closures "will remain in place until Saturday at the earliest".
Update:
Date: 16:37 BST
Title: Major incident stood down
Content: Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service says the fire is being stood down as a major incident.
Update:
Date: 16:37 BST
Title: 'We couldn't believe what we were seeing'
Content: Doreen, 80, lives in a property that backs on to the Sanders Lodge industrial estate and describes how she found out about the blaze.
She says: "My son rang me up this morning and said, 'Mum, look out of the window', then I saw what had happened... and said, 'Oh my gosh.'
"We've lived here 50 years and I couldn't believe it."
Update:
Date: 16:35 BST
Title: MP thanks emergency services
Content: Gen Kitchen, the Labour MP for Wellingborough and Rushden, has issued a message of thanks to the fire and rescue service.
In a video shared on her social media platforms, external, she says the effort, led by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, and supported by crews from Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, had "minimised the impact on the local community".
Update:
Date: 16:19 BST
Title: Residents warned of low water pressure
Content: Anglian Water says some of its customers in the Rushden area "may have very low water pressure" because of the fire.
The firm says it is due to the fire service needing to access the water supply in order to douse the flames coming from the Monoworld site.
It says it hopes to have "everything back to normal as soon as possible", but has not offered an estimated time.
Update:
Date: 15:41 BST
Title: Blaze appears to be dying down
Content: Sam ReadBBC Look East
By any normal standards there is still a big plume of smoke over Rushden.
However, it's now much smaller than when I arrived at 11:30.
As you can see from this photo I've just taken - it's much more grey now than thick black smoke.
Update:
Date: 15:31 BST
Title: What does 'declaring a major incident' mean?
Content: The blaze in Rushden has led to a "major incident" being declared by the fire service, but what does that mean in practical terms?
When one gets declared, it essentially means a formal structure and chain of command is set up between different agencies, such as the fire service, police and local councils, so they work better together to keep the public safe.
It means regular meetings take place between those agencies so things don't get missed. In this instance, the fire service is taking the lead.
Update:
Date: 15:06 BST
Title: A reminder of what we know so far
Content: It is almost nine hours since the fire started at Sanders Lodge industrial estate.
Here is a reminder of the key information we know about the blaze:
Update:
Date: 14:41 BST
Title: 'We got out of bed quite quickly'
Content: A man living near to the site of the fire says he was alerted about it by a text message from a neighbour.
Malcolm says he received a message asking "are you alright?" after his neighbour saw smoke rising "over and above" his property.
He says: "We got out of bed quite quickly to go and have a look. Common sense has been applied and we shut everything up. The colour of the smoke looked quite toxic."
Update:
Date: 14:24 BST
Title: No injuries, says fire service
Content: Sam ReadBBC Look East
Mick Berry, the area manager from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, tells me there are thankfully "no injuries or fatalities" resulting from today's blaze in Rushden.
He praises the work of fire crews tackling the flames and shares his thanks for the support he has received from neighbouring Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire teams.
Mr Berry says the burning materials are "predominantly" plastics that have been "crushed down", making them "really, really difficult to extinguish".
Update:
Date: 14:19 BST
Title: Latest view from the air
Content: This latest shot has been taken from a drone at the scene and shows how widespread the flames are.
Update:
Date: 14:17 BST
Title: Fire service photos show scale of blaze
Content: Large amounts of what appears to be waste is in flames at the site
Crews have been at the site since early morning
Fire crews on a cherry picker try to dampen down the flames
A funnel of black smoke has been pouring from the scene
Update:
Date: 14:10 BST
Title: Road closures in place around the area
Content: Northamptonshire Police have put in a number of road closures "to support public safety and emergency services activity".
They are:
• A full closure of all slip roads at junction 16 of the A45, both eastbound and westbound (the A45 itself is open past the scene)
• Ditchford Road, between the junction with Mill Road and the A45
• Northampton Road, at the junction with Wellingborough Road
• Wellingborough Road, at the junction with Washbrook Road
Police ask people to avoid these areas and find alternative routes.
"Thanks for your patience while we and blue light partners deal with this incident," a spokesperson says.
Update:
Date: 13:50 BST
Title: Smoke seen for miles around
Content: You have been sending us your photos of the Rushden blaze, with the smoke plume visible for miles.
Nearby resident Sarah Ward captured the smoke
Alfie took this photo, with smoke visible over the top of Waitrose
Anna Howlett said she could see the blaze from the Stanton Cross estate in Wellingborough
The smoke is seen billowing behind Pertenhall Church, 12 miles away
Sixteen miles away, the smoke is still visible in Oakley, Bedfordshire
Update:
Date: 13:41 BST
Title: Site of the fire identified as recycling firm
Content: The fire service has confirmed that the blaze is at the premises of recycling firm Monoworld.
The company recycles plastic waste products such as food packaging and also has recycling centres in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire and Hartlepool, County Durham.
We have approached the firm for comment.
Update:
Date: 13:27 BST
Title: Scale of smoke plume captured by pilot at 33,000ft
Content: This video can not be played
We have been sent video of the fire scene by a pilot who was flying through the area at 33,000ft (10,058m).
Lucas Kalfjall said he could see a "massive column of smoke, clearly visible" billowing high into the air from the industrial estate.
Update:
Date: 13:26 BST
Title: 'Windows up, air-con off'
Content: The A45, a major east-west route through Northamptonshire, remains open as normal despite its close proximity to the blaze.
The road is only about 200 metres from the perimeter of the Sanders Lodge Industrial Estate.
However, Northamptonshire Police says, external motorists are being advised to "keep windows up and air conditioning off".
Update:
Date: 13:10 BST
Title: Nearby shopping centre trading as normal
Content: The site of the fire is close to Rushden Lakes - a large outdoor shopping complex located on the opposite side of the A45 dual carriageway.
The BBC has contacted Rushden Lakes and it says it is continuing to trade as normal.
Update:
Date: 12:55 BST
Title: Latest statement from fire service
Content: Mick Berry, the area manager from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, has just issued a statement about the latest response to the blaze.
He says: "This is a large fire that is having a significant impact on the Sanders Lodge industrial estate in Rushden.
"A multi-agency decision has been taken to declare a major incident, but fire crews are working extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading and reduce the smoke plume.
"We would urge people to stay away from the site while emergency services deal with this incident and ask nearby residents to close windows and doors due to the large amount of smoke issuing from the site.
"We anticipate that we will be on scene over the rest of the weekend, and we appreciate the impact this is having on local businesses on the estate and would like to thank them for their patience."