A HUGE fire that swept through the Ocado warehouse and collapsed part of its roof in Andover has been brought under control more than a day after it first broke out.

Around 200 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze which began at the South Way facility on Walworth Business Park at 2.44am on Tuesday.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) had declared the fire as a major incident and said four of its firefighters had been treated for slight smoke inhalation as they battled to bring the inferno under control.

Locals were urged to keep their windows and doors shut due to the smoke from the blaze, while the public was also asked to avoid the area.

Today (Wednesday), neighbouring sites were open for operation, and a cordon has been put in place towards the Ocado centre.

"The Ocado warehouse blaze in Andover was declared a major incident by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service," a statement by HFRS said.

"About 200 firefighters were involved in tackling the fire which broke out at 2.44am on February 5.

"Four firefighters have been treated for minor smoke inhalation (and) part of the roof collapsed.

"The fire in the robot-run distribution centre is now under control and it is no longer a major incident."

One local tweeted during the blaze: "Just streets away - the noise, heat, smell and light pouring from the Ocado warehouse is frighteningly real.

"120+ firefighters are risking their lives tackling the blaze. Makes you truly appreciate the brave men and women of the Fire Service!! Thank you. Stay safe".

Ocado said it had been forced to cancel some customer orders because of the fire and that it was "working hard to resume normal service as soon as possible".

An Ocado spokesperson said: "Unfortunately the fire which started yesterday morning in a corner of the ambient grid was not contained as we believed, and last night expanded. 

"Whilst we are informed by the Fire Brigade that it is now under control, during the night part of the roof collapsed and there has been substantial damage to the majority of the building and its contents.  

"Ocado confirms that no members of the Ocado team or the public have been injured. We are very grateful to the members of the emergency services for their efforts.


"Once we have had time to assess the damage and prepare a plan to return the CFC to operation we will update further as appropriate.

"As Andover was providing approximately 10% of our current capacity, as a result of this incident there will be a constraint on our ability to meet our growing customer demand and there will be a reduction in sales growth until we can increase capacity elsewhere.

"Ocado has comprehensive insurance for the property, stock and equipment on site, and for business interruption losses."