FACTORY FIRE DRAMA
Crews tackle inferno into night...
DRAMATIC images show a passenger plane flying over a fierce blaze at a Clydebank industrial estate as crews battle the fire below.
The Boeing 777 – carrying passengers from Dubai to Glasgow – soared through a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the night sky following the blaze at a unit in the Clydegrove Works park shortly before 6pm.
It is understood the blaze started at a plant manufacturing bovine medicine, but several other units were also feared to have been affected by the fire near Yoker train station.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said that a specialist unit was also sent to the incident due to the risk that hazardous substances could be involved in the fire.
Police erected a cordon and fire crews set up a wide exclusion zone to deter locals from getting too close to the flames.
One train passenger told the Evening Times: “I got off at Yoker and the firefighters told us to turn around and go out the station the other way.”
“It looked awful, you could smell the smoke as soon as you got off the train.”
Another local added: “I don’t know how long it had been going for, but it looks really bad. I just came out of Farmfoods and the police had the area completely cordoned off.”
Rail services travelling to and from Yoker were unaffected, despite the proximity of the blaze to the station.
The flight path for Glasgow Airport, which runs over the area, was also unaffected with pictures showing the enormous plane gliding over the smoke as it came into land at Glasgow Airport at around 7:45pm.
At least half a dozen appliances were scrambled to the incident, while images from the scene also showed the SFRS environmental protection unit on site.
A spokeswoman for SFRS said no one was hurt in the incident, but crews remained on site to carry out safety works.
She added: “We were called to reports of a building on fire at 5.44pm on Wednesday, October 23 on Hamilton Street.”
“Operations Control mobilised a number of appliances including a specialised appliance due to potential hazardous substances.”
“There are no reports of any casualties and we are working to make the area safe.”