Around 40 firefighters were called to a fire at the Sandwich Industrial Estate in Kent, which destroyed the offices of timber frame manufacturing company, OFP Timber Homes, causing an estimated £100,000s of damage.

Crews used two jets, 1 hydrant, breathing apparatus and a positive pressure ventilation fan to tackle the blaze.

The fire – which broke out in the early hours of Tuesday 13 December – was contained due to effective compartmentation between the offices and the manufacturing area of the building. The building itself is of concrete construction with asbestos roof lining.

Among the contents consumed by the fire were the company’s £12,000 computer server, computers and records.

Neil Brennan, a director of OFP Timber Homes, told info4fire.com:

“By the time the directors and factory management team arrived on scene at around 0340, the office areas had been wholly engulfed by flames and the roof had failed totally, leaving behind the charred remains of an office with absolutely no recoverable items left unclaimed by the fire.

“Fortunately, an adjacent factory area was undamaged due entirely to the closing of an hour-rated fire door in the corridor leading to the factory area. Given the obvious heat generated and the apparent damage, the performance of the fire door and insulated internal timber frame was exceptional in limiting the spread of the flames.”

The company quickly relocated its office operations to an unused area of the main factory, installing a replacement server with back-up information.