DOZENS of firefighters rushed to the scene as a dramatic blaze ripped through a Deeside recycling unit.

Six fire crews from Chester, Deeside, Flint, Buckley and Wrexham tackled the inferno, which broke out at about 10.30am yesterday at Paperback Collection and Recycling, a supplier to Kimberly-Clark.

The unit, based on 10th Avenue, Deeside Industrial Estate, was completely gutted by the blaze, which raged for hours as 35 firefighters fought to extinguish it, using several main water jets and an aerial ladder platform.

The 80m by 40m warehouse was well alight when fire crews arrived on the scene and the flames had spread through the entire premises.

Firefighters remained at the scene this morning.

Dozens of passers-by stopped to watch and take photographs on their mobile phones, as ash and cinders rained down around the factory.

Four employees were working in the unit at the time and they were all safely evacuated, after being alerted to the fire by alarms.

Nearby buildings were also evacuated, including workers at the NWN Media print centre, who watched the dramatic events unfold.

NWN Media director, Huw Jones, said: "We first noticed what was happening when we saw smoke billowing out from under the eaves of the building.

"Then the fire engine arrived and asked which was the best way to access the unit.

"Everyone was evacuated from the building, but we have been unaffected."

Another eye witness, who works at a nearby unit and did not wish to be named, added: "We had to be evacuated because the flames were blowing our way with the direction of the wind.

"The firefighters extinguished some of the flames several times, but they just kept coming back up.

"We don't know what is going to happen or whether we will be allowed back into our building. It looks as though the fire will have to burn itself out first."

Firefighters do not believe that any hazardous materials were inside the building, which contained mainly paper based materials, but nearby residents have been advised to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke, which could be seen billowing from the warehouse for miles around.

The police and ambulance service have been called to the scene, along with gas and electricity suppliers who will close down supplies to the premises. The Environment Agency have also been informed.

Stunned workers watched helplessly as the warehouse went up in smoke.

Speaking exclusively to the Leader, plant owner Gordon Anderson said: "There were no injuries and everyone was evacuated safely.

"The fire service is investigating and we're helping with those investigations. It's not clear at this stage what caused the fire."

Fire incident commander Bill Murphy added: "The smoke was drifting gradually in a north-westerly direction over the river towards Connah's Quay, so we worked with police to make sure nobody in that area suffered because of the smoke.

"There was nothing toxic or dangerous in there, it was predominantly paper products."

One motorist said: "I was driving on the A494 when I saw smoke coming from the industrial estate.

"You could see it for miles around, it was obvious it was a massive fire. It was really eye-catching against the clear blue sky."

The fire service is now working to conduct an investigation into what caused the blaze.

Parts of the unit completely collapsed following the incident.

Phil Owen, county fire safety officer, said: "The building, which is about 15 foot high, was packed to the roof in the middle with very tightly packed stacks of paper, so it is going to be a big job.

He added: "Our firefighters have been working under arduous conditions to tackle the blaze, so we are very proud of all of them."


How readers could follow the story online as it happened
By newdesk chief reporter Steve Graves

As soon as we heard about the blaze in the office, we sent out Simon Williams-Tully, our chief photographer, as well as reporter Kate Forrester. Before she left for the scene, Kate gathered some brief details from the fire service, who had just received the call themselves and were on their way out. This allowed us to break the news on our website before anyone else, and let our readers know about the incident as it happened.
Our live coverage of the breaking story continued once Kate and Simon reached the scene, with Kate sending through regular updates which we were able to add to the story online as events unfolded. Once the severity of the fire became clearer, we were able to send out senior reporter Mike Youds, armed with our digital video camera. Simon was then able to film the firefighting operation from a safe vantage point, while the two reporters spoke to people at the scene and worked to find out more about the blaze and how it had started.

View footage of firefighters tackling the fire at the Paperback recycling centre