Big timber yard fire ‘not started deliberately’
AN INVESTIGATION has found a large blaze at a timber merchants in Stockport, which destroyed up to £70,000 worth of stock, was not started deliberately.
Around 30 firefighters were called to battle the flames at Stockport Timber, on Station Approach, Reddish, on Tuesday at 6.10pm.
It involved a timber store and sent smoke 40 metres into the air before spreading to a second storage unit.
The investigation, by police and fire officers, found the likely cause was previously burning material being re-ignited on the hottest day of the year.
Manager Steve Owen had locked up the storage area shortly before 5.30pm and was in the office unaware the fire had started, and then left.
Some passengers on a train going past had also seen smoke but the alert was not raised until an alarm went off at the site at 6.10pm.
Steve said: “We have put a lot of time and effort building up the business in the last 12 months so we were fearing the worst but fortunately it has just damaged stock.
“The fire was killed before it spread to buildings. We need to work out how much stock is lost but it is a substantial amount. It could have been worse though.”
Loss adjusters are assessing the value of damage but Steve estimates it to be between £50,000 to £70,000. The business was open again on Wednesday morning.
Firefighters from Gorton, King Street, Whitehill, Hyde and Philips Park stations used water jets to extinguish the flames.
Crews were there until the early hours of the following morning to douse timber to ensure the blaze could not restart.
Bob Walker, from Gorton fire station, said: “The fire was going very well when we arrived, as soon as we turned onto Reddish Lane we could see a column of smoke at quite some height.
“The flames were about six metres high and we had to cut through the gate to get in.”
A police spokesman confirmed officers were called to the blaze but that there was no evidence of accelerant being used and CCTV had not picked up anything suspicious.
Some traffic disruption was caused on Gorton Road as crews set up water pipes but it was kept to a minimum by using small ramps to protect the lines but allow vehicles access over the top.