Fire crews from Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) responded to a major fire at a delivery company depot in Avonmouth, Bristol, on the afternoon of 16 April 2024.
Around 16 fire appliances were mobilised to the scene, including crews from Avonmouth, Temple, Pill, Bedminster, Portishead, Kingswood, and Nailsea. Upon arrival, crews confirmed that the blaze was coming from a large warehouse, which is a distribution centre for Evri.
Footage taken at the scene showed plumes of dark smoke surrounding the building, with AFRS advising those living and working in the local area to keep their windows and doors closed. Reports indicate that smoke was visible from parts of the M5.
The incident response was later scaled down to eight fire appliances, with AFRS adding that additional “specialist assets” were helping to tackle the fire. Police were also in attendance to provide traffic management.
AFRS Group Manager, Ben Thompson told ITV News: "This afternoon we received a call at 1.30pm to a fire at a warehouse in Avonmouth.
"It was a very well-developed fire and there were thick black plumes of smoke pouring out over the city.
"I'm pleased to report that crews dealt with the incident very quickly and were able to knock back the flames which were initially extensive.
"Fire crews are still here making the scene safe. We would still encourage the public to stay away for their own safety."
BBC News reported that crews also had to deal with a “ruptured gas pipe while attending the fire”.
Crews eventually left the scene just before 8.00 pm. AFRS later added that the cause of the fire was believed to have been accidental.
A spokesperson for Evri told BBC News: "We can confirm that no one was injured in yesterday's fire and no parcels were damaged.”
They added that the damage caused was “mostly superficial” and that the company’s "main priority was ensuring colleagues were safe".
"There were very few parcels at the site at the time with the vast majority of outbound deliveries having left the building.
"We have quickly made plans for alternative arrangements to minimise disruption to deliveries taking place over the next few days," they added.