Factory blaze to keep fire crews busy until next week

A massive operation involving all emergency services, Scottish Water, Sepa and West Lothian Council is under way in the hope of preventing the fallout damaging the local environment with people urged to stay away from the Dedridge Burn and the River Almond until they are declared safe.

It is likely the factory will be demolished, but Amcor has reassured the 84 workers at the plant they will receive full pay until an assessment and action plan has been carried out.

One worker from Edinburgh, who was at the emergency services' liaison office at the industrial estate, said: "We weren't on shift when it happened and only saw it on the news."

The industrial estate has been closed since the fire broke out at midday on Thursday.

Black clouds of smoke were seen as far away as the Forth Road Bridge and residents in nearby Murieston were also told to keep windows and doors closed for fear of toxic fumes.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Services group manager David Girrity said: "At this moment in time we're still dealing with the fire itself.

"We've got problems with access to the building because of the structural collapse that's taken place and also there's quite a lot of unknown chemicals at this moment in time.

"We've got four pumping appliances with two height appliances to deal with the incident.

"It's difficult to say what timescale this will all be done in, but certainly, right now, it looks as though we could be here for some time. That may go over the weekend."

No vehicle access is allowed near the factory and workers who had to flee when the fire broke out have to wait until the cordon is lifted before picking their cars up.

Neil Begbie, factory manager at nearby plastic packaging firm Pregis, said: "It's very frustrating. A lot of workers have had to park away from work and we can't get any anything in from suppliers.

"The fire has had a massive impact on the surrounding factories, but we're hopeful of getting some understanding from the emergency services."

It is thought one of the company's printers caught fire, causing the blaze, and police say there are currently no suspicious circumstances.

A spokeswoman for Amcor said: "Our first concern is the safety of our employees. One of the 84 co-workers suffered a minor burn to the back of their hand and was examined at a local hospital. The wellbeing and safety of all co-workers is Amcor's top priority."