One of Sainsbury’s most significant London depots has been hit by a 'major' fire.
The blaze at the Charlton depot in south London yesterday (19 May) engulfed half the building and destroyed six delivery lorries.
Sainsbury’s said all colleagues have been accounted for and it is now “assessing the damage” to the distribution centre.
Around 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines tackled the fire, which began in a lorry parked in one of the loading bays outside the warehouse, before spreading to six other HGV vehicles and part of the depot’s outside wall panelling. The cause of the fire is now under investigation.
People as far away as Twickenham, in west London, reported that they could see the towers of “jet black” smoke, and the Evening Standard reported that the building was evacuated, and four people were treated for smoke inhalation. 'There were lots and lots of loud explosions, lots of deep bangs like a huge firework going off,” one witness told the paper.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said Sainsbury’s sprinklers helped prevent 'potentially devastating' damage to the depot in Charlton and has called on other businesses to follow the retailer's example.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “We can confirm that there was a fire at our Thameside depot on Monday afternoon. Everyone was evacuated safely and all colleagues have been accounted for.
“We are assessing the damage to our distribution centre, which serves a number of our London convenience stores, and will work hard to ensure that any impact on their deliveries is minimised.”
LFB deputy assistant commissioner Mark Andrews said: “There is absolutely no doubt that in this case the sprinkler system, along with the quick actions of our crews, prevented a much more serious fire from spreading any further into the depot and causing potentially millions of pounds worth of damage to both the building and stock inside.
“This incident highlights the clear benefits of sprinklers to businesses and we would urge all companies to install them. As well as being potentially life saving devices, sprinklers and other fire suppression systems help with business continuity by minimising disruption and allowing businesses to get back to normal as soon as possible.”
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