SCOTLAND-FIRE AT CAMPBELL MEATS.
A FIRE has ripped through a meat factory in the Lothians causing damage costing around GBP 2m.
Campbells Prime Meat, in Broxburn, has been partially destroyed in a blaze, which broke out in a warehouse and plant area at 2.30am today.
Firefighters say the fire is likely to burn for 48 hours and the entire building could be lost.
Control crews at Edinburgh Airport were alerted as plumes of smoke rose 2000 feet into the air.
Fifty-four firefighters attended after an alarm was triggered. A team of 25 to 30 night shift workers also raised the alarm and all of them escaped unharmed.
It is not yet known what caused the blaze, though police
said it was not being treated as suspicious.
The fire service’s area commander, David Young said: "We suspect this building will continue to burn for another 48 hours."
"This is the biggest fire we have dealt with since the Victoria Street blaze at Christmas.
"The building is made from panels which can be dangerous as they can collapse."
Mr Young added: "The building looks like it will be a loss. There will be some parts that are intact, but they will still be very badly smoke damaged.
"The south side of the building was worst affected."
From its premises on the East Mains Industrial Estate, Campbells supplies meats to businesses, hotels and restaurants across Edinburgh and Scotland, including chef Martin Wishart, who uses the company’s produce in his Michelin starred restaurant on The Shore.
Campbells is one of Broxburn’s largest employers, thought to have around 250 staff.
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said:
"When crews arrived, they were confronted with a fire that was well alight in the building. By about 7.30am the fire was under control, but we were still tackling it."
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said crews had been alerted to the fire owing to Broxburn’s proximity to the terminal and the potential impact smoke could have on aircraft.
He said: "Owing to the wind, the fire is not causing any interference at the moment. Our control team is monitoring it closely."
This is the second fire at a Broxburn meat factory in the last week. Thirty firefighters tackled a blaze at Grampian Country Foods in East Main Street, on April 30.
No-one was injured in the incident.
Campbells is a family-run business that has served companies across the Lothians since the 1920s. It began as a small shop on the Capital’s Queen Street.
