'This will not stop us' - business defiant after seven-hour blaze
Pips Skips on Frans Green Industrial Estate, in East Tuddenham, the morning after the fire. - Credit: Aaron McMillan
A skip hire firm says it is "business as usual" despite being hit by a blaze which firefighters battled for several hours.
Sixteen crews were sent to Pips Skips in East Tuddenham, near Dereham, from around 5.15pm on Tuesday (April 12) afternoon.
They came from locations across Norfolk including Dereham, Earlham, Fakenham, Sprowston, Reepham, Watton, Aylsham, Hingham and Long Stratton.
Pips Skips on Frans Green Industrial Estate, in East Tuddenham, the morning after the fire. - Credit: Aaron McMillan
Many remained on site until 7am on Wednesday morning to check for hot spots, having finally brought under control a fire in one of the company's industrial buildings.
Main and hose reel jets, as well as hand appliances, were used by firefighters.
Company director James Hyde had just arrived home on Tuesday when he was called back to the yard, which is on the Frans Green Industrial Estate off Sandy Lane.
The blaze was in an outbuilding which houses the waste transfer station managed by Pips Skips.
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Despite the fire service's presence and the time it took for firefighters to control the fire, this morning the business was operating as usual, with machines running and workers back on site.
Pips Skips on Frans Green Industrial Estate, in East Tuddenham, the morning after the fire. - Credit: Aaron McMillan
“The site is still operating as normal today,” said Mr Hyde.
“The fire affected the roof of the outbuilding and some metalwork to the side of that, but nothing too bad.
“This will not stop us; is business as usual.
“We need to make a couple of repairs, then it will be like it never happened - touch wood.”
Mr Hyde added that none of his employees were on site when the the fire started and, as a result, nobody was injured.
Pips Skips on Frans Green Industrial Estate, in East Tuddenham, the morning after the fire. - Credit: Aaron McMillan
He remained on site until the fire service was satisfied that it was safe to depart.
On Wednesday, investigations were under way among fire officers to establish the cause of the blaze.
Pips Skips was hit by a similar fire back in August 2019, after which bosses said the outcome "could have been much worse".
Back then, a blaze had ignited in a wood chipping bay and crews spent several hours battling the worst of the flames.
While firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spiralling out of control, 40 tonnes of wood and a shredder were destroyed.
