Thousands of staff evacuated from London Colney business park (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Thousands of staff evacuated from London Colney business park

4:45pm Tuesday 26th May 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

AROUND 2,000 staff had to be evacuated from their offices on a business park in London Colney this afternoon after a gas and oxygen cylinder burst into flames in a warehouse.

An acetyleno gas cylinder and an oxygen cylinder exploded into a ball flames at the Fleming Fabrications factory in Riverside Industrial Estate in Lowbell Lane at around 12.30pm. The Review understands the cyclinders were being used by workers at the factory when the accident happened.

Firefighters were forced to evacuate business premises within 200 metres of the factory.

Four St Albans appliances attended the scene.

Watch Commander Peter Hatherley said: "We used a hose to put the fire out and then we risk assessed using our thermal image camera as to whether it was safe to approach.

"After a period of time it was safe enough to approach and turn the cyclinders off."

Workers were allowed to return to their buildings shortly before 4pm when firefighters had made certain the area was safe.