Ocado warehouse fire evacuation lifted

Approximately 200 firefighters were involved in tackling the fire which broke out at 2.44am on 5 February, which was declared a major incident. It took more than 24 hours to bring under control and The Walworth industrial estate was evacuated due to the risk of toxins being released or a large cylinder exploding.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service can now confirm that the evacuation area around the Ocado fire site in Andover has been lifted.

It is no longer considered to be a major incident and roads around are the site are open, although firefighting operations continue.

Teams from HFRS have been working hard overnight to support the safe removal of toxic chemicals which has been successfully completed.

Residents can now return to their homes and businesses can operate as normal.

Group manager at HFRS Nigel Cooper said, ‘We are pleased to have been able to safely remove the chemicals from the site throughout the night and into the early hours of this morning, meaning we can lift the evacuation zone. It is thanks to the efforts of all our teams, on the ground and elsewhere, that we managed to contain the incident when it unexpectedly escalated late yesterday afternoon.’

Fire crews from neighbouring services were dispatched to provide support for what was a challenging and complex incident. HFRS worked alongside it’s Local Resilience Forum multi agency partners to minimise the disruption to nearby businesses and residents.

Cooper added. ‘Our teams, and colleagues from Oxfordshire, Dorset & Wiltshire, Royal Berkshire and Hertfordshire have shown commitment and professionalism in dealing with a complex operation in incredibly challenging circumstances.’