Astonfields Staffs FireA multi-agency team from Staffordshire have worked through the night to tackle a major industrial fire which saw at least one building destroyed.

More than 50 firefighters were in attendance at the blaze at Global Hygiene blaze on Astonfields Industrial Estate in Stafford which took more than four hours to control.

Fiona Carding, spokeswoman for Staffordshire Fire Service, said: "We were called following reports of a fire in a warehouse. The fire broke out in an office area near a large amount of oil.

"We sent 10 crews from Staffordshire and four more from over the border in West Midlands. There was a container of heat transfer oil, which contains about 40,000 litres. All staff were evacuated to Stafford Rangers football ground.

"We are still advising residents to keep their windows closed because there is a large amount of smoke in the area. Precautions remain in place and safety is paramount. We will continue issuing statements about the fire."

A worker suffered minor burns but there were no other casualties with nearby schools closed due to smoke and fumes and homes and businesses in a 50m radius evacuated.

The company said the fire broke out in a building which was under construction. The fire, which has been declared a "major incident", was reported by a worker at the industrial cleaning supply firm at about 08:45.

Emergency services put together a multi-agency response using the nearby Stafford Rangers Football Club a few hundred yards away as a command post to organise the firefighting effort.

Leading the multi-agency response Doctor David Kirrage, Consultant in Health Protection for Public Health England, said: "Our is advice is for people to stay out of the smoke plume where possible. For those homes in the path of the smoke plume please keep doors and windows closed.

"People who suffer from asthma should make sure that they have any inhalers close to hand in case they need them. From the information we have at the moment we do not believe there are any particularly harmful chemicals in the smoke but we know that any smoke acts as an irritant and should be avoided."

For the latest updates on the incident follow @staffsfire