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Posted: Mon 19th Aug 2019

Aerial images show devastation to Village Bakery factory after huge fire

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Monday, Aug 19th, 2019

Fire crews were called to Wrexham Industrial Estate just after 8:30am this morning, our updates are below…

2:30pm Fire crews remain on scene damping down after the fire this morning. We are wrapping up our live updates from the scene, and thanks to all who have shared details and media of the incident.

1:44pm The Village Bakery have just posted a message on their website from Robin Jones, Managing Director, that reads: “You may have seen on the news about a fire at one of our bakeries in Wrexham.

“Thankfully, all members of staff who were in the building at the time are safe and well.

“In cooperation with the fire service, we are working hard to assess the scale of the damage to the affected bakery which makes Welsh cakes and crumpets.

“Our three other bakeries are unaffected and working normally and we are doing our utmost to minimise disruption to supplies. We will release more information as soon as it becomes available.”

1:30pm Pete Williams has allowed us to publish the two images below, taken from a helicopter that detoured earlier this morning. The helicopter was heading west slightly below the industrial estate, however detoured briefly and was overhead the incident around midday.

The picture shows eleven appliances on the scene, and the huge amount of damage the fire has caused to the Village Bakery factory.

The second picture shows the damage more clearly from the side:

12:55pm More from our photographer at the scene, below is a video of fire crews breaking windows to help tackle the fire this morning

12:40pm Some more pictures from the incident this morning, fire crews remain on scene this afternoon.

12:15pm: Here are several more shots of fire crews in action this morning and into this afternoon:

Midday: Emergency services have been attending the incident on Wrexham Industrial Estate for almost three and a half hours.

Thankfully there have been no injuries reported in the fire that appears to have seriously affected the large new Village Bakery factory.

11:45am Fire crews are still on scene at the fire that started just after half eight this morning.

11:35am Fire crews are expected to be on scene all of today and possibly into the early hours damping down.

Ken Skates AM – Clwyd South’s assembly member and also the Minister for Economy and Transport has said:

11:14am: Reaction to today’s incident from Wrexham’s Assembly Member, Lesley Griffiths

Update 11am: Latest from our photographer at the scene – including firefighters using aerial ladders to extinguish the blaze.

Update 10:55am : Steff has shared this drone footage from earlier this morning that shows the scale of the fire.

10:42 Further update from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service:

“A one-storey production area is now fully involved in fire, and fire has spread to an adjoining office block.

“Eight appliances are still in attendance along with two aerial ladder platforms, which are putting water onto the fire from above.

“A large amount of smoke has been discharged over the local area – we are asking people in the area to keep your doors, and windows closed and avoid the immediate vicinity of the fire to allow our crew to work efficiently.”

10:40am Our photographer, Craig Colville, is at the scene and has sent the below images of emergency services tackling the fire.

10:37am A spokesperson from the Welsh Ambulance Service told us: ““We were called on Monday 19 August at approximately 08:45 am to reports of a fire in a building in Wrexham Industrial Estate.

“One of our emergency ambulances is currently on standby at the scene.”

10:20am We have had a line from the Welsh Ambulance Service who have told us they were asked to be on standby, as no one has been reported to be in the building so far.

10am: North Wales Fire & Rescue have issued an update, confirming firefighters are still in attendance at a building on Coed Aben Road, Wrexham Industrial Estate.

They received the call at 8.41am today to the incident.

“Three appliances from Wrexham, one from Deeside, Buckley, Llangollen, Chester, Oswestry, two ariel ladder platforms and an incident command unit from Rhyl are at the incident this morning.

“Members of the public are asked to keep away from the incident. Coed Aben Road on the Industrial Estate in closed whilst firefighter are dealing with the fire. Any neighbouring properties should keep doors and windows closed.”

There is still no official word yet if anyone has been injured in the incident, but several staff members have said they believe a full safe evacuation has taken place. Some family members have said issues with people not collecting their phones during the evacuation process meant staff members have been hard to get in touch with.

Original information below…

Fire crews are attending a fire on Wrexham Industrial Estate that started just before 9am.

A large fire has taken hold at the rear of the new Village Bakery building.

It has been slow / blocked for the last 30mins but as of 9:30am police have formally closed Coed Aben Road while the fire service attend to the incident.


Jordan sent us the above image just before 9am, with the below taken around 15 minutes later:

Tom sent this image showing the huge plume of smoke over the industrial estate.

Hari sent us the below image, showing the fire to the rear of the new building:

Lissy sent this image of fire crews at work:

Some more images & video we have been tweeted @Wrexham :

 

The Village Bakery brand began ‘life in 1934, when the Edwards brothers began producing bread and confectionary in a small bakery in Park Road, Coedpoeth’. In 1966 the company was taken over by Mr Alan Jones the current Chairman.

The Village Bakery have also been crowned Wales’ fastest growing company after sales soared more than 1,500% having ‘enjoyed an outstanding few years growth’.

More shortly.



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