Walkers fire ‘accidental’ but cause still unknown
ROOF BLAZE LED TO EVACUATION OF CRISPS FACTORY
investigators have declared the blaze at the Walkers crisp factory in Beaumont Leys was “accidental”, but are still trying to find out the precise cause.
Crews from across the city and county descended on the site at around 10.30am on Friday after workers raised the alarm, saying the building was “filling with smoke.”
The roof of the Walkers plant on Leycroft Road had caught fire, leading to the evacuation of the building, as reported in Saturday’s Mercury.
A spokeswoman for Leicestershire Fire Control said: “We know that the cause of the roof fire was accidental.
“We are still waiting on more information regarding the damage to the site.”
Walkers confirmed there were no casualties as a result of the incident after the site had been evacuated.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.
Walkers says it is still too early to tell whether production will be affected.
It comes amid Walkers crisp shortages which has been blamed on a
IT glitch, and could last until the end of the month.
A company spokeswoman said a clean-up process was under way in the affected area of the factory but the rest of the sit remains operational.
She added: “It’s too early to deterFIRE mine the impact this may have on production.
“Our current priority is assessing the necessary repairs needed to get the site up and running as soon as we can. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.”
At the time of the blaze, fire concompany trol confirmed that firefighters used breathing gear and supported by two hose real jets had entered the building.
The Walkers factory, which is renowned around the world for its famous snacks, measures about 60m x 30m and has two floors.