Tiverton fire: damping down continues

One property had aerosol cans and HGVs inside

Firefighters continued damping down the remains of a blaze at Tiverton Business Park throughout Bank Holiday Monday and are back on the scene on Tuesday.

The fire broke out around 6.30 p.m. on New Year's Day, with flames being seen over a wide area.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue say the fire affected a two-storey commercial building divided into three businesses.

The first contained a large quantity of aerosol spray cans, cans of liquid adhesive and eight heavy goods vehicles. It was destroyed by fire. The plumbing business next door was also destroyed by fire.

The third business which contained pianos was partially damaged by heat, smoke and water. 

The cause of the fire hasn't yet been determined, but West and Wales Utilities say a gas leak isn't to blame. The company's gas emergency service manager for Tiverton Steven Bakes said: “We were called to reports of an explosion at a business park in the Lowman Way area of Tiverton...and immediately sent a team of engineers to the scene.
 
“When we arrived, we found that a number of buildings had been damaged and emergency services were in control of the area.
 
“We worked with the emergency services to make the area safe and carried out all necessary gas safety checks and found no evidence of a gas leak.
 
“The cause of the explosion is still being investigated by the emergency services, however, it’s not thought to be related to the mains gas network.
 
"If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night. Before visiting, we'll ask you to let us know if you or anyone in your household is experiencing Coronavirus symptoms or self-isolating. We'll still come and help you: but our teams will take some additional precautions to keep us all safe."