TWO fire crews from West Devon attended a large fire at an Exeter industrial estate on Monday, helping tackle the blaze and relieve fire crews already on the scene. One crew from Princetown and one from Tavistock attended the scene just before 6am and stayed at the Sowton Industrial Estate until after 2pm. The Howmet Misco site contained acids and alkalies, as well as other chemicals, which leaked from a ruptured tank. Fumes from the burning chemicals surrounded the estate, which fire officers believed may have been dangerous. Police considered evacuating nearby businesses as the cloud of smoke filtered through the estates but aborted the plan after realising the fumes were non-toxic. A total of 15 appliances, including aerial ladder platforms, incident command vehicles, incident support units and environment units from various fire stations across Devon were called to the scene. Committed to two sides of the building, the fire crews used 12 breathing apparatus, eight gas-tight suits, four hose reels and two ground monitors to tackle the fire. The building suffered from 20% heat and fire damage and 100% smoke damage.
