Desborough Airfield Blaze Continues To Burn

A fire in a hangar at Desborough Airfield could last for several more days.

The blaze at the site near Stoke Albany began shortly before 8.30pm on Thursday and involved vehicles and thousands of tonnes of carpet.

The intensity of the fire has seen the roof of the hangar collapse, bringing down the carpet waste which was being stored in the building’s roof space.

People living in nearby have been advised to close their windows and doors since it broke out, with large plumes of black smoke visible from the former Ministry of Defence site.

Due to weather conditions, the warning has now been extended to villagers in Great Bowden.

Firefighters at the scene of the blaze on Thursday evening

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Rob Green thanked the local community.

He said: “Due to the way the building has collapsed it is proving difficult for our crews to effectively extinguish the remaining hot spots, but we are working hard to keep the fire under control and manage the resultant smoke plume along with our partner organisations.”

At the height of the blaze, six fire engines were on scene with water jets and an aerial pump used to tackle the flames.

The operation has since been scaled back, but firefighters are expected to remain at the site for several days.

A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service told HFM an investigation to determine the cause of the fire would take place once it was safe to do so.