Firefighters tackle huge factory fire in Leicester
Firefighters are continuing to tackle a huge factory fire in Spinney Hills in Leicester.
The foggy, windless weather means the smoke is not blowing away quickly and the print factory in St Barnabas Road, Leicester, is surrounded by residential streets.
People are being urged to avoid the area or to stay inside with windows and doors closed.
The blaze began at around 3am on Saturday morning and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service says crews have been working hard to stop it from spreading.
There are 10 fire engines from around the city involved in the operation, as well as a number of fire appliances to administer water onto the blaze from above.
Each fire engine contains four to six firefighters, meaning there are up to 60 involved in putting out the fire.
A spokesman for the fire service said: "Due to the local weather conditions - no wind and low fog - the smoke is thick in the area and causing health concerns. We're asking people to keep their windows and doors shut and not go to the scene of the fire."
The fire has led to several road closures in the area including much of St Barnabas Road itself and Gough Road.
Residential streets such as Smith Dorrien Road are closed to through traffic, with Leicestershire Police officers, wearing face masks, keeping any pedestrians away who are not residents.
Among the small crowd of people watching the firefighting operation earlier this morning - before people were instructed to leave the area - was Riz Mohammed, 39. He said: "I got here at about 8am and it was about the same as it was now - lots of smoke coming out but no flames. It looks like it's stopped spreading.
"I don't know what's inside but there's something burning and you can really smell it."
Ali Amustak, 52, lives on the corner of St Barnabas Road and Smith Dorrien Road. He said: "I woke up and the fire brigade was here. At first I noticed all the smoke from my bathroom window at about 7am. It looked very bad.
"I could just see thick, black smoke everywhere."
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