THE jobs of 116 workers at a Rossendale mill are secure despite the premises being gutted by a fire yesterday.

Three-storey Doric Springs Mill on Burnley Road East, Water, will have to be rebuilt, but a management spokesman said the company had a full order book, limited production would start before Christmas and no jobs would be lost.

Doric is part of the Siddall and Hilton group of Sowerby Bridge, which has a factory at Barnsley. Some of the workforce - two thirds of which live in Rossendale - may be offered work at the other mill while rebuilding work takes place.

Acting head of the village school Noel Coates, said: "I know many of the workers because their children attend the school and many of the workers themselves used to be pupils here."

Ironically, it was ducting installed by the company to overcome local residents' complaints about the smell of solvents which allowed the fire to spread so quickly.

Fifty firefighters from across East Lancashire fought the blaze .

Divisional Commander Bill Riley, in charge operations, said: "The ducting quickly became extremely hot and set fire to anything adjacent to it, including a wooden staircase up through the centre of the building." The fire began in a dry oven in a single-storey section at the rear of the main building.

The first fire crews thought they were getting on top of the incident unaware the fire had spread into the main mill, said Mr Riley.

Thick smoke and then flames began to shoot out of the windows on the second floor. Much of the roof collapsed and the entire second floor was gutted. The rest of the building was badly damaged by smoke and water.

At one stage, it was feared that the main front wall was about to collapse but building inspectors found that it had been bevelled inwards for many years.

One of the youngest workers, 17-year-old frame assembler Neil Cunliffe said: "The first I knew anything was wrong was when I heard the alarm.

"There was no panic and everyone got out within minutes. It was only when I got outside that I saw the smoke and flames."

The road between Waterfoot and Crown Point, Burnley, was closed for almost six hours and diversions were put into operation.

Finance director John Noble was among shocked staff watching the flames.

He said: "The evacuation worked perfectly and everyone was out safely within seconds. Thankfully, everyone has been accounted for and no-one has been hurt."

The company employs 116, working in shifts from 6am to 10pm. Almost 100 workers were in the mill when the fire broke out.

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