Massive Ocado Blaze Declared Major Incident: 200 Firefighters Battle Relentlessly
A huge fire at Ocado’s automated warehouse in Andover has been officially declared a major incident. Over 200 firefighters have been working non-stop for more than 24 hours to tackle the raging inferno.
Huge Fire Erupts at Ocado Warehouse
The blaze erupted at 2:44am on Tuesday at the state-of-the-art facility in Walworth Business Park. Flames and billowing smoke have forced emergency crews to warn locals to keep windows and doors tightly shut, while avoiding the area altogether.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service revealed that four firefighters have suffered slight smoke inhalation but remain in good condition. The ferocity of the fire has caused part of the warehouse roof to collapse, with flames still burning through Ocado’s robot-run distribution centre.
Firefighters Risk Lives on Scene
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Andy Bowers confirmed the scale of the response: “20 pumps, 9 water carriers, 3 aerial ladder platforms, and 256 breathing apparatus wearers have been deployed.” Over 120 firefighters continue to risk their lives battling this colossal blaze, which remains stubbornly active.
Ocado Forced to Cancel Thousands of Deliveries
The fire has brought chaos to Ocado’s operations. The online grocer’s flagship warehouse handles more than 4,000 orders daily. The blaze has led to the cancellation of thousands of customer deliveries as the complex’s robotic systems remain out of action.
Witnesses describe the blaze as terrifying, with heat, noise, and smoke pouring from the site in a frightening display.
Fire crews are expected to stay on site for some time as they fight to bring the blaze under control. More updates to follow.
