The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service announced today that a building that was destroyed in a huge fire was occupied when the blaze started. However, everyone in the building managed to escape without harm. The fire broke out at around 8.30 pm on Friday at the former Sony UK unit on Bridgend Industrial Estate. The building, which measured 245m x 110m, or 800ft x 360ft, was almost structurally collapsed within seven minutes. The fire was declared over at about 08:20 on Saturday.
According to South Wales Police, crews remained at the scene on Saturday. They advised motorists to avoid the area. In total, the fire service sent 10 engines, four water carriers and two aerial ladder platforms to tackle the huge blaze. Liarne Bell, who works at nearby Phil’s News & Cafe, told BBC Wales on Saturday, “It’s all everybody’s talking about, we’re all a bit shocked by it.” She went on to explain how worrying it was to see the estate shut down and people wondering if they’d be able to work the next day.
The donut and coffee shop Whocult in the industrial estate close to the fire announced via social media that it would be closed on Saturday because a power outage had been caused by the blaze, and access to the shop and bakery was still restricted. However, the company was grateful that, thanks to the efforts of the South Wales Fire and Rescue team working tirelessly overnight to contain the blaze, their building remained unharmed.
While the cause of the fire isn’t currently known, emergency responders were able to prevent it from spreading to neighbouring businesses, and according to Neil Davies, of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, multiple “high value items” were saved. All emergency responders would like to thank the local community for their support and apologise for any disruption caused while they bring the incident to a safe and successful conclusion. SWFRS will work closely with SWP to establish the origin, cause and development of the fire, but this is unlikely to take place until next week
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