Police officers spot industrial estate fire

60 firefighters attended a huge fire in Hampshire after police spotted smoke coming from the Calmore Industrial Estate in Totton.

Crews fought the fire which started in a unit which operated as an industrial cleaner, using an aerial ladder platform.

Dan Tasker, from Hampshire fire service said: “Upon arrival I could see flames above the roof of the building. Firefighters gained access to the premises using specialist cutting equipment and crews ventilated the premises. The blaze was tackled using a combination of dowsing the flames from above… and traditional methods on the ground. Firefighters worked extremely hard to contain the fire to the unit of origin and did a sterling job in stopping the fire from spreading to the neighbouring two units.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out. Initial findings show that it may have been started deliberately.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that you:

‘must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed’

This means that all companies as a first point in their Fire Safety must complete a Fire Risk Assessment.  This must be carried out by a competent person, who is trained to perform risk assessments.