Fire at egg factory sparks evacuation
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) were called to the blaze at the factory on Crom Road at 10:58am on Wednesday 7 October, which had started in an empty henhouse on the site.
At the height of the incident, 10 fire appliances – including a high volume pumping appliance, two aerial appliance and a water tanker – were in attendance.
‘Accidental ignition’
A spokesman for the NIFRS said: “Firefighters used three jets to extinguish the fire. The incident was dealt with by 19.35pm. The cause of the fire was accidental ignition.”
All staff were evacuated swiftly and safely from the site and the main production facility was not affected. Production recommence later that afternoon.
Ready Egg Products thanked the NIFRS and the Red Cross, as well as two local businesses – Cherrytree Bakery and Courtneys Mace – for supplying food and drinks to staff members forced to evacuate.
This year has seen two food manufacturers bounce back from potentially devastating blazes.
Wrexham super bakery
In March, Wrexham-based Village Bakery has announced plans for a ‘super bakery’ as it continues to bounce back from a devastating blaze last year.
The 13,006m2 factory will be four times the size of the baker’s former Coed Aben Road site that burned down in August last year, destroying office space, the baking academy and new product development kitchen.
Meanwhile, Kent Foods has introduced contingency plans for its supply chain in the wake of a fire, which destroyed its warehouse and office over the weekend.
More than 100 firefighters and 20 appliances battled the blaze at the Basildon depot of Kent Foods on the evening of Saturday 29 August. The cause of the fire is now under investigation by Essex County Fire and Rescue.
