A fire broke out this morning (Saturday) at a wooden mill owned by one of Grimsby’s oldest companies.
Bennetts Timber, who has been running for more than 200 years, has been forced to close its Grimsby operation for repairs. Today, however, executives have pledged to become “bigger and better.”
Several fire brigades were alerted to the fire in the early hours of the morning. The mill was badly damaged and will need to be rebuilt, but other buildings were saved.
This morning, customers were turned away at the doorstep of the South Humberside Industrial Estate site as business began picking up the parts. It will be closed until Tuesday for repairs and to drain the water used to put out the flames.
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Speaking to Grimsby Live today, co-director Edward Bennett said: “It was a surprise. My brother Robert alerted me to the fire this morning around 8am. Apparently someone had seen the fire and told our chief operating officer that the mill was on.
“Fortunately, all the offices, the courtyard and the warehouse have been saved and we will try to reopen them on Tuesday. Obviously, the milling machine will be out of service until further notice as it will need to be rebuilt.”
Co-director Edward Bennett out of Bennetts Timber, who was badly damaged by the fire. (Image: GRIMSBY NEWS & PICTURES AGENCY LTD)
It was too early to tell what caused the fire, Edward said. He added: “We have no idea what could have caused this. We have faced many adversities in the past and hope to grow more and better after that. At the end of the day, it has happened and we cannot change that.”
The business has a second depot, in Brigg, which remains open. Edward said, “It’s all about how we move forward from here. Our Brigg depot will still be open to receive calls, as we don’t have the facilities here without IT or electricity at the moment.”
A witness told Grimsby Live that the flames had appeared at 2am. He added: “I saw smoke and fire engines, it was windy too, so the fire was well established at this point.”
In a statement, Humberside Fire and Rescue said: “We were called to the fire at around 1.45am and we initially had six fire trucks at the scene as well as our airstrip. We finally left the scene around 8 o’clock in the morning. “
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