A recent blaze occurred at a warehouse run by grocery giant Ocado after onsite robots collided. The extensive blaze has impacted the company’s ability to fulfil orders, leaving thousands of customers without their shopping and many shipments delayed or arriving with missing items.
A spokesperson for Ocado commented:
“While the scale of the damage is unclear, no one has been injured. While we expect some disruption to operations, we will work to restore normal service as soon as possible.”
The massive site processes around 220,000 orders each week, and it shares the depot with supermarket chain Morrisons. The fire was sparked by packing robots operating on the location’s dedicated grid system colliding with one another.
Around 100 firefighters and 15 different appliances were called to attend the depot based in Church Manorway in Erith Kent as the fire blazed.
Owners of commercial and industrial operations across the UK have a duty to perform an accurate risk assessment regarding fire safety at the premises they use. Such assessments often require firms to install fire safety equipment like fire alarms and smoke detectors in the retail outlets, warehouses and factories they operate.
Businesses booking a fire alarm installation in Chester, Erith and other parts of the country can use professional electricians to complete any work required, ensuring devices are working properly and fitted in line with UK fire regulations.
The building was entirely evacuated, and no injuries were reported. Fire crews remained onsite after the blaze was extinguished and spent the day making sure hot spots were dampened down for safety.
