Fire at Huddersfield chemical plant brought under control

Around 20 firefighters from across West Yorkshire were called to Syngenta, Leeds Road, at 11.07am, where they quickly brought the fire under control.

The fire started during a routine welding operation on new pipe work, on the ground floor of a three-storey production facility measuring approximately 60m by 30m.

A handful of staff from the building were evacuated.

Huddersfield Fire Station watch commander Andy Rose said: “There was no issue to the public. It was a relatively small incident brought quickly under control.”

No chemicals were involved in the fire.

A spokesman from Syngenta said: “There were no chemicals involved in the fire and members of the public were not at risk from the incident. Emergency response procedures were immediately put into action and West Yorkshire Fire and Ambulance Service attended the site. The fire was quickly contained and extinguished. The fire is now out and the incident is closed. All staff are accounted for and there have been no injuries or casualties.

“A small amount of smoke from the fire may have been visible to residents as it drifted across the site from the north west area. The specific cause of the incident is yet to be determined and clearly a full investigation is now under way. We apologise if this incident has caused any concern to local neighbours.”