Toxic black smoke could be seen for miles around and locals were told to keep doors and windows closed after a huge fire at an Evri warehouse broke out on Tuesday, April 16. 16 fire engines were called to the scene to battle the huge blaze which broke out at the distributions company's warehouse in Avonmouth, Bristol.
Crews fought the fire for hours before it was brought under control and extinguished in the evening. It is not known exactly when the fire broke out, but a video shared by Jess Mason on X, showed that a large part of the complex was already ablaze by 1.35pm.
It is not clear how much damage has been caused and how many parcels have been damaged by the smoke and flames. Multiple eyewitnesses took videos of smoke and flames pouring out of the burning warehouse.
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Just before 4pm, the number of fire engines was reduced to eight as firefighters gained the upper hand in their battle with the flames. Avon Fire and Rescue Service have since confirmed that the fire was had been extinguished and crews had left the site at 7.42pm.
Police were also in attendance to provide traffic management. The A403 was partially blocked until after 7pm as emergency crews remained at the scene. All roads have since been reopened.
What happened?
At around 1.30pm a video was posted showing smoke and flames coming from a warehouse in Avonmouth. Avon Fire Service and Rescue posted at 2.31pm that a large number of fire engines, 16 in total, were at the scene of a warehouse fire in Avonmouth.
Local residents and workers were advised by the fire service to keep doors and windows closed due to the risk from toxic fumes from the blaze. Thick black smoke was seen across the city. One person at Blaise Castle saw smoke fill the sky. Traffic cameras also showed smoke billowing across the M5.
The fire was confirmed to be extinguished at 7.42pm. The cause of the blaze is not currently known, but an investigation into the cause is being carried out.
Evri statement
The full statement from Evri reads: “Fire services attended a fire at our Avonmouth depot earlier today, all colleagues on site are safe and the fire has now been put out. Our main priority has been to ensure that all colleagues are safe, the cause of the fire will be fully investigated in due course.
"There were very few parcels at the site at the time with the vast majority of outbound deliveries having left the building. We have quickly made plans for alternative arrangements to minimise disruption to deliveries taking place over the next few days.”
Details about the cause of the fire, and the extent of damage, have not yet been released.
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