40 firefighters tackle major blaze in Biggleswade warehouse throughout the night

The fire broke out at the warehouse on Cow Close, close to the A1, some time before 9.30pm on Wednesday, July 24.

Fire crews spent nearly 12 hours fighting to bring it under control and extinguished it just before 9am this morning.

Beds Fire and Rescue Service were forced to call for assistance from neighbouring Cambridge Fire and Rescue, who provided additional firefighters as well as a high volume water pump.

Group Commander, Andy Draper said: "On arrival, crews faced difficulty in gaining access to the site, with limited water supplies. As a result assistance was required by eight rescue pumps, two water carriers and an aerial platform."

Within two hours of arrival, the fire service reported "steady progress" was being made and that the blaze had been brought under control, with one firefighter jet and two hosereels in use.

Other organisations including Bedfordshire Police, British Transport Police, Network Rail, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency, were also on hand to resolve the incident.

At 6.24am, Beds fire and Rescue service put out a bulletin that its firefighters had been working hard through the night, and had now scaled back from eight pumps to one rescue pump working at the scene.

A spokesman from the service said: "[The] warehouse fire at Cow Close, Biggleswade, was extinguished just before 9am this morning.

"The single storey building was a recycling warehouse with mixed materials. Thanks to the hard work of firefighters at the scene, only 40% of the building was damaged by fire, though severely damaged by smoke.

"Four breathing apparatus wearers tackled the fire with two hosereels and one jet. Eight pumps in total were sent along with two water carriers and an aerial platform. Plant machinery, operated by staff, cleared the waste material."

The last crews left at 10.57am and the fire service has now handed the site back to its owners and site personnel.