The Dalesman Group’s Bradford head office and warehouse, Dalesman House, has suffered extensive damage after a fire broke out last week, with the warehouse having collapsed in places, according to the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service.
The fire brigade received an emergency call at 10.10pm on 9th August and dispatched 15 fire engines.
At its height, around 80 firefighters were battling to maintain the fire, which came under control by around 4am.
In a statement, The Dalesman Group’s senior director, Ian Rhodes, clarified that there were no members of staff in the building at the time of the fire, and according to West Yorkshire fire brigade, the ground floor offices are the least damaged.
In addition, electricity to some nearby premises was temporarily cut off and people were advised to close doors and windows due to the large plumes of smoke in the area.
A fire investigator will be looking into the cause of the fire, while fire officers have been in contact with the owner of the building and a structural engineer over the future of the building.
According to the fire brigade, the building measures approximately 40mx50m and comprises a single storey warehouse and two storey offices; the warehouse was used to store flour, seeds, herbs and spices.
Rhodes thanked the West Yorkshire fire brigade for their “quick response and courageous help and support”, along with local businesses in the area and added: "The fire last Wednesday night has destroyed the majority of our Bradford site including warehousing, production and office space. We are currently rebuilding the business at a rapid rate and in less than a week we have sourced new offices, warehousing, production equipment and ingredients!
"We will be manufacturing by the end of the week! Our customers, staff and business partners have all been so fantastically supportive and we can't thank them enough! We are continuing to take orders via the usual channels and if any of our customers are concerned please feel free to contact us on 01274-758 000."
In 2015, The Dalesman Group unveiled a £750,000 extension at the Bradford headquarters, which included a new development kitchen and a pilot plant, along with a presentation room, IT centre, boardroom and meeting rooms.
Deputy chief fire officer Dave Walton said: “The fire overnight in Bradford has been incredibly challenging for crews who worked tirelessly to try and prevent it from spreading.
“However, as the building is now structurally unsafe we will not put them at any risk by sending crews inside.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
