UPDATE: Staff at Lamb Weston factory in Wisbech praised after fire sees the plant evacuated

“We take health and safety very seriously” says firm’s spokesman after a fire saw a Wisbech factory evacuated yesterday evening (Tuesday).

Steven Smith, plant manager, at Lamb Weston in Weasenham Lane, said the fire at the factory, which produces frozen potato products, caused very little damage and no one was hurt in the incident.

He said the fire, which started at around 6.49pm, was in one of the fryers but the factory’s fire suppressant system kept it from spreading further.

Workers had to be evacuated while four fire crews, two from Wisbech and two from March dealt with the incident.

It took firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and using two jets and one hose reel just under three hours to fully extinguish the fire. The building was left heavily smoke logged by the blaze, the cause of which was accidental.

Mr Smith said: “We take health and safety very seriously and we are delighted that no one was hurt in the incident. We are very proud of how our team reacted and we praise the response of the team on the site at the time. We had a fire in one of our fryers and the fire suppressant systems limited any damage.”

He said the factory normally carries out plant maintenance work, including cleansing, every other Wednesday and so the fire has not affected production.

“We expect to start up again tomorrow (Thursday) without any loss, production has not been affected.”

The incident saw the Weasenham Lane area closed and drivers were advised to avoid the area while emergency services dealt with it.