Accidental Baldock industrial estate fire started in water boiler

At its height more than 15 fire appliances were on the scene last week

A fire that destroyed more than 40 businesses on an industrial estate started accidentally in a water boiler, a fire service has confirmed.

More than 15 crews attended the blaze off London Road in Baldock, at about 18:15 BST on Tuesday, 11 July.

Hertfordshire Fire Service declared it a major incident, and remained on the scene for much of the following day.

The service confirmed the fire began in the flue of a wood-burning water boiler in one of the business units.

A spokesman said the blaze spread to the roof "and then throughout the remainder of the building - affecting a large number of business units".

Pictures of the scene five days after the blaze took hold showed the aftermath, including collapsed roofs and mangled wreckage.

Dozens of individual businesses were lost in the blaze

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