Staffordshire paint plant blaze was an accident
A large blaze at a paint production factory in south Staffordshire was caused accidentally, it has emerged.
Fire investigators said the subsequent build-up of pressure was so powerful that it burst a wall of the container, causing the the fire to spread to other containers and pallets.
Forty firefighters from Cannock, Chase Terrace, Penkridge, Bloxwich and Walsall battled the flames along with specialist vehicles from Newcastle and Rugeley.
Upt to 12 neighbouring businesses on the Landywood Lane industrial estate were evacuated and residents warned to keep their windows shut over fears of chemical contamination.
The fire, which broke out shortly before 12.30pm, also spread to lorry trailer and forklift truck.
Cannock-based station manager Neil Pederson, who led the incident, said: "This was a large scale incident. It took over five hours to put the blaze out and due to the chemicals involved, it was a delicate operation which could have had a far worse outcome. Thankfully, no-one was hurt as a result of this incident."
