More than 70 firefighters were at the scene of a sausage factory that had burst into flames in southeast London on Tuesday.
Firefighters were called to the scene on River Way, Harlow, an Essex town about 31 miles from London, at 5:22 on Tuesday morning.
The Essex Country Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) said crews from Essex and Hertfordshire confirmed on arrival that the 0.6 acre-Riverway Food factory was 95 percent alight and 100 percent smoke-logged.
By 7:17 a.m., there were 10 fire engines, with crews from Essex, Hertfordshire, and London in attendance.
Residents have been urged to avoid the area.
According to ECFRS area Manager Jim Palmer, more than 70 firefighters were present at the height of the fire, including aerial appliances.
Firefighters sectioned the fire into four areas, and the fire was contained to one building by 11 a.m.
By 3:30 p.m., six crews remained at the scene, working to extinguish the fire in sections using an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) to tackle the fire from above as well as the ground, according to ECFRS.
Palmer said the crews expected to remain at the scene “until at least the early evening.”
Dorottya Spanyik, whose husband works for Riverway Food, told the PA news agency that her husband had been working on a nightshift when fire alarms sounded.
“The fire was massive … you could see and feel the smoke all around Harlow,” Spanyik said. “My husband works there, he was there when the fire started before 6 a.m.”
Spanyik said, “the whole night shift was still there when the fire alarms went off.”
She also said her husband is safe but “stressed,” and has not been told when he will be able to return to work.
“They have no idea [when he will return]. The fire was really big and even when he left the firefighters were still working to stop the fire,” she added.
“He is home now and luckily no personal injury, but he is very stressed.”
There has been no report of casualties in the incident and the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
