Barrow fire: Cause of huge blaze at BAE systems nuclear submarine factory revealed

An industrial accident caused a huge fire at a nuclear submarine factory that , sources have said

Seven people were taken to hospital, a number of them with suspected smoke inhalation, after a in Barrow-in-Furness, shortly after midnight on Wednesday. Police told local residents to "keep doors and windows closed" as firefighters tackled the inferno but said there was "no nuclear risk" to the public. Smoke billowed out of the site and across the area surrounding the Devonshire Dock Hall into the early hours of the morning before the flames were extinguished.

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Now, sources have told the that the blaze was started by an electrical explosion involving the compressor on a sand-blaster, which set fire to rubber tiles on the £1.3billion HMS Agincourt nuclear submarine. The tiles, designed to absorb enemy sonar while the sub is underwater, are made of a highly combustible foam-like polymer. One source told the newspaper that the smell of the fire was "a bit like burning tyres, but worse". BAE have not confirmed the extent of the damage caused to the submarine, but said the shipyard and other nuclear submarines kept at the facility had not suffered serious damage.

On Wednesday, Defence minister Maria Eagle said the seven employees had been taken to hospital after the initial fire as a precautionary measure, and had since been released. She said "at no point was there any nuclear risk" from the fire.

BAE Systems said they had launched an investigation into the fire and that other areas of their Barrow-in-Furness site remained "fully operational". A spokesperson said: "Following the fire in the Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) at our Barrow-in-Furness site on Wednesday October 30, a full investigation and clean-up activities are now under way. The affected area is accessible to essential personnel only but the remainder of the site is fully operational.

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"We would again like to thank the emergency services and all our partners and agencies involved whose bravery and professionalism ensured our colleagues were quickly and safely evacuated from the area. We're also grateful to the local community for their patience and co-operation throughout.

"The multi-agency response to the incident prevented significant damage to the DDH facility and the submarine units within it. We are continuing a full assessment of the impact and are developing a comprehensive plan to progress remedial action but early investigations indicate the fire has had limited impact. Work continues on Astute Boat 6, which is currently in the water in the Devonshire Dock, and both the Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS programmes are progressing."