The fire at the Baldock Industrial Estate broke out on the evening of 11 July. The flames were fanned by high winds and the fire quickly took hold at the site, which is made up of multiple units housing dozens of businesses.
The fire service declared a major incident and more than 15 fire appliances were sent to the scene to tackle the blaze, while local farmers turned out to help by bringing their water tankers for the crews to use.
The fire took until the following day to extinguish. No injuries have been reported.
Corrugated box specialist Lionkent is located in units 18 and 19 of the estate. The firm has been trading for over 40 years and offers plain and printed corrugated boxes, with standard and bespoke product options.
Printweek could not reach Lionkent for comment.
Drone footage from the ongoing Baldock fire.
— Herts Fire & Rescue (@HFRS) July 12, 2023
The incident is now scaling down but Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service will remain on scene for some time.
If you live nearby, please keep your windows shut and avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/Aj5dyqEyAN
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council confirmed that Lionkent’s unit on the estate was affected by the fire, but said it was not clear how badly.
The firm is at the furthest end from where the fire broke out, but the roof in that area appears to have partially collapsed.
Local MP Sir Oliver Heald, who is the Conservative MP for North East Hertfordshire, said that 43 industrial units were destroyed.
Heald visited the site with the fire service on Friday and said: “This was a devastating fire and the damaged caused is very significant. The fire service and police were stretched to their limit but were able to ensure that no one was left on the site and the fire was contained so that it did not spread to the rest of the units.
“It will be a long time before some businesses can return and I know what a very difficult time this will be for the businesses concerned. I am working with all the local agencies to ensure that support is provided as soon as possible. A particular issue is the need for a safe route for those premises which can continue and I have discussed that with the fire service and the police.”
Hertfordshire County Council, North Herts Council, and Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership hosted a community event for businesses affected by the fire last week, and a number of GoFundMe appeals have been set up to help some of the business owners who lost everything.
