Chard property blaze believed to be started deliberately

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service Fire Control received a call on Sunday, March 30 at around 3.15pm from a member of the public informing them that smoke was coming from the Oscar Mayer Factory in Furnham Road, Chard.

Crews from Chard, Axminster and Crewkerne were sent in fire engines to the scene, along with an operational assurance officer, to put out the fire.

Crews from Chard Fire Station were first to arrive and confirmed there was a fire, causing smoke to issue from an internal hallway which was accessible by an open fire exit.

Crews from Axminster Fire Station arrived shortly after the Chard crews and had two breathing apparatus wearers enter the smoking building to extinguish the fire.

The rest of the crew were tasked to conduct and external 360 of the property.

Crews then later confirmed there was a second fire within a different location of the same property. At this time Crewkerne arrived and started fighting the second fire.

Both fires were extinguished quickly, however, due to the large scale of the building (with many internal offices and rooms) and due to the large amount of smoke still issuing, crews re-entered to investigate if any additional fires were active.

The crews also decided to remove some fencing to allow for more natural ventilation and introduced a fan to help speed up the process of cooling the hot spots down.

After final checks, all the crews left the scene.

The building suffered significant smoke damage and 10 per cent fire damage overall.

A spokesperson for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "There were several seats of fire within this building.

"The building suffered significant smoke damage and 10% fire damage.

"Because of the suspicious nature of these fires within the building, Police have also been requested to attend."

The cause of the fire still remains under investigation, however is believed to be deliberate and has been described by the fire and rescue service as "suspicious" leading to police involvement.

The fire and rescue spokesperson added: "We do believe it was started deliberately."