Trains were delayed as fire crews tackled a fast spreading blaze on an industrial estate close to the railway line at Whittlesey.

An investigation is under way to find out the cause of the fire at a firm on an industrial estate which saw industrial equipment, wood chippings and pallets go up in smoke.

Nine fire engines were called to the blaze on Aarons Road Industrial Estate in Station Road at about 12.22am today (Tuesday 1) which was extinguished by about 8.40am.

Station Commander Jamie Johnson, the officer in charge of the incident, said: “When the crew arrived they were faced with three different seats of fire, which were spreading quickly.

“They did a fantastic job to initially contain the fire and to extinguish it before it could spread any further.

“As the site was in close proximity to railway lines, we had to stop trains from passing through the area to ensure we could safely contain the fire.

“We are very grateful to Network Rail for their assistance.”

Crews from Whittlesey, Stanground, Thorney, Dogsthorpe, Yaxley and Ramsey attended the incident initially, followed by crews from March, Chatteris and Sawtry.

Firefighters arrived to find a well-developed fire involving industrial equipment, wood chippings and pallets, along with a further store of wood chippings. Wearing breathing apparatus they extinguished the fire using hose reels and jets.

The crews returned to their stations by 8.40am.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.