Investigators believe blaze was accidental

AFIRE which broke out at an industrial building in Widnes is not believed to have been started deliberately, an ongoing investigation has currently revealed.

Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service (CFRS) eventually sent a total of 11 crews, including relief ones, to Tan House Lane from just before 4pm on Tuesday, October 22.

A ‘large fire’ broke out in a single storey industrial building and measured 50m by 20m, as a vast plume of smoke could be seen in the sky.

Residents in the nearby area were advised to keep their windows and doors closed as a precaution.

Two main jets were initially used to tackle the blaze from the outside, while an aerial ladder platform and a high-volume pumping unit were also deployed.

Crews stayed at the scene overnight to turn over the fire affected materials and damp down, as Tan House Lane was shut between Warrington Road and Page Lane.

The gas and electricity supply to the building was isolated as six fire crews tackled the blaze at its peak.

The firefighters worked through the night as they damped the area down, monitoring temperatures and looking for hotspots using thermal imaging cameras.

By 9am on Wednesday, October 23, only one fire appliance remained at the scene and all firefighters had left by 12.30pm after being satisfied that there were no hotspots left and the site was safe.

Probes have been launched into the fire’s cause, but the service does not believe it was started by arsonists.

A CFRS statement read: “An investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing but at this stage it is not thought to have been started deliberately.”