AN INVESTIGATION is underway after a £250,000 blaze at a car spares warehouse this afternoon.

Black smoke billowing from the first floor building on Hollin Bridge Street, Blackburn, could be seen throughout the town as tyres and other parts burned inside.

The director of General Traffic Ltd, Imtiaz Umarji, estimated the damage to his stock at £250,000 and the roof of the former mill was ruined by the fire.


Video of the fire filmed by LT reader Leatitia Longland

An investigation is underway into how the blaze started in a pile of tyres stacked up in a next door building just before 4pm.

Just one fire engine was called at first, but when the flames spread to General Traffic, which supplies local garages, another seven appliances from Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington and Burnley raced to the scene.

Firefighters used breathing equipment to tackle the flames, using a fire exit in the next building along to gain access.

Meanwhile, their colleagues used the aerial ladder platform to fight the flames, and during the two-hour operation they managed to prevent it spreading to the other floors or next-door building.

Staff inside had been safely evacuated.

Mr Umarji paid tribute to the fire crews and said staff would be relocating to the firm’s other base in Bamber Bridge.

He said he had 'no clue' how the blaze started.

He added: “It looks like a total damage to our stock to the tune of £250,000.

"We are working hard to have a contingency in place, and will be sending extra resources to Bamber Bridge.

“As an employer we are doing everything we can to stay in business.

"We have been going for three decades, and this is a very bad time in our history but we will rise again.”