TWENTY fire crews were today battling to prevent toxic fumes spreading over Simonstone during a massive blaze.

Dozens of firefighters from Burnley, Padiham, Accrington and Blackburn surrounded a blazing storage building at Philips Components' Simonstone site.

They used hydraulic platforms to dampen flames which shot 40 feet into the air. More than 100 workers were evacuated as a damage control unit, incident support crew and ambulances raced to the scene.

The fire was under control by 9.30am but firefighters were battling to stop sparks from the blaze spreading beyond a fire wall to agents.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer John Williamson said: "The real problem for us is the oxidising agents because if the blaze reaches these it will intensify the fire. Our big priority is to remove that risk.

"All combustible chemicals such as these are toxic and we are concerned about the fumes." Flames from the fire, which started at about 7am, could be seen from miles away.

Workers in nearby offices were being updated on the situation, but were not evacuated.

Victoria Sedgwick of Time Computer's sales department, on the same site as Philips Components, said: "The building was well alight from about 8.15am. From our office window we could see flames shooting up into the sky."

Station officer Derek Hill, of Padiham fire station, was first at the scene. He said the building was engulfed in flames and as crews went to the Burnley Road site, workers were evacuated and traffic was held up.

There was severe congestion on the Padiham by-pass, Simonstone Lane was closed and a one-way system was in operation on the A678 between Padiham and the Walton Arms, Altham.

It is believed the fire broke out in a section of a storage unit because of an electrical fault in the roof. Heavy smoke and debris, from polystyrene and cardboard stored there, was thrown into the sky.

Roger Woods, of Philips, said: "The fire brigade and our people in Simonstone have done really well in evacuating everyone safely. We have got people up there assessing the damage and it does look pretty bad , but thankfully no-one was injured."

The Dutch firm employs 320 people at the Simonstone site, producing glass television screens and other components.

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