A massive blaze at a removals and storage facility in Trafford Park, Manchester has resulted in the destruction of a warehouse and the loss of all its contents.
At the height of the fire, which broke out at the Britannia Bradshaw International facility last Saturday (5 April), 10 fire engines, three aerial appliances and other specialist equipment was used.
According to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, the fire spread rapidly through the building, fanned by strong winds, and produced a plume of smoke visible for many miles, affecting all of the building and causing its partial collapse. The fire was contained and prevented from spreading to adjacent industrial units, which includes a chemical storage unit.
The company had relocated to the purpose built site in Trafford Park in 2004. Among its commercial clients are The Co-operative Group, UMBRO, George Wimpey, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Adidas 3663, BAE Systems, Balfour Kilpatrick, Manchester Airport Plc and the BBC. Although the warehouse and its contents were completely destroyed, the company says its removal business remains largely unaffected.
This is the reason why I have always trusted implementing an automatic fire sensor system that mechanically sets itself off in case of a fire. The water sprinklers installed in the ceiling could and would definitely help to either control or extinguish a fire. I think it is indeed a necessity especially in areas where there is no staff working on a 24-hours shift pattern but the business operates round the clock, like a self storage facility.
Its sad to think that the fire at the self storage facility couldn’t have been put out in time or at least in a quicker time to salvage some things. Really feeling the loss for all the people involved.