23 Apr 2012
More than 400 employees had to be evacuated from a pizza factory in Harrow after a blaze broke out on April 19.
The Harrow Observer reported that the fire started at the Bakkavor Pizza factory in Kenton after a pizza got stuck on a conveyor belt.
Fire crews were called to the scene at around 6.30am and an estimated 420 people were led out of the building before firefighters arrived to battle the blaze. They managed to control the fire within an hour.
A spokesman for the Bakkavor Group said: “Staff were evacuated safely and successfully, in line with procedure, and the fire brigade were called as a precautionary measure.
“The factory was back to full operation within a couple of hours and the fire caused no substantial damage.”
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that a “suitable and sufficient” fire risk assessment has to be conducted on commercial properties in England and Wales.
If the fire risk provisions are deemed insufficient, the Responsible Person faces an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
Copyright Press Association 2012