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Peterborough fire – Five teens arrested over £2m Hotpoint HQ blaze that destroyed 48 trailers
FIVE teenagers have been arrested over yesterday’s Hotpoint HQ blaze in Peterborough that destroyed 48 trailers.
The teens, all aged between 15 and 19, are believed to be behind the raging inferno that caused £2million in damage.
Cambridgeshire Police tweeted the arrest update earlier today, asking any witnesses to contact them with any information they have.
Dramatic footage of the inferno shows a huge plume of thick black smoke billowing over Peterborough after the fire broke out at the facility this afternoon.
The site includes the British HQ of Hotpoint’s owner, Whirlpool, as well as storage and depot facilities. No one has been injured in the fire.
Terrifying images show the smoke rising behind nearby houses.
Officials have described the ordeal as “big” and “serious”.
‘APOCALYPTIC’
Local resident Jay Harrison-Crossley told Sun Online: “As soon as I heard the big explosions I jumped in my car and saw police and fire vehicles.
“Police were telling people to get off the streets as there was potential for further explosions.
“People were panicking after the series of big explosions were heard.
“I cut through one of the side roads to be able to see the smoke clearer but then as I got closer another big explosion happened.”
Another local resident Simon Benton was near the explosion.
He told Sun Online: “It was apocalyptic. There was dust everywhere. Everyone was panicking in the streets and the loud bangs were heard for 20 minutes.
“The ground was shaking and there was debris and ash literally everywhere.”
He added: “Emergency crews are still at the scene and the air stinks after the fire broke out.
“There were about 10-20 explosions within the 20 minutes.”
It was apocalyptic. There was dust everywhere. Everyone was panicking in the streets and the loud bangs were heard for 20 minutes
Simon Benton
Fire, ambulance and police teams are at the scene in Woodston, Peterborough.
One witness reported hearing explosions “every few seconds”.
Whirlpool told The Sun Online about 30 HGV trailers containing spare parts were involved in the fire.
None of the buildings were affected and its operations will resume as normal tomorrow.
‘PLUME OF BLACK SMOKE’
One person took to Twitter after seeing the blaze break out, writing: “Driving through #Peterborough hear a loud bang and now (standing next) to a field as it’s so smoky. Anyone know what’s going on.”
Another added: “Huge plume of black smoke over #Peterborough as seen from Castor.”
A third witness wrote: “Massive fire in Peterborough – could hear the bangs as if there’s explosions.”
A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue spokeswoman told Cambridgeshire Live: “It’s big incident at Hotpoint warehouse, Shrewsbury Avenue in Peterborough.
“We’ve got lots of fire engines there and it is something serious.
“That’s all we know, for now.”
The fire service has tweeted: “A number of crews are dealing with a large fire on Shrewsbury Avenue, Peterborough.”
TOXIC AIR
Peterborough Police tweeted: “We are currently on scene assisting Fire and Ambulance on Celta Road, Woodston at a large fire.
“Please assist us by keeping the area clear so our vehicles can get where they need to.
“There may be road closures as well, so please check for details.”
A Whirlpool spokesman said: “Most importantly, we can confirm that nobody has been injured in this incident and none of the buildings on our site have been affected.
“A fire broke out at approximately 6.45pm today in an area of our Peterborough headquarters where heavy goods vehicle trailers are parked.
“These trailers contained spare parts and the blaze spread to approximately 30 of them.
“The fire is now under control and investigations by the police into the cause are ongoing.
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“Operations will resume as normal on site tomorrow.
“We would like to offer our most sincere thanks to the emergency services for all their assistance in tackling this incident.
“We also apologise to people living and working in the area for any disruption caused.”