A FACTORY blaze which led to an evacuation of night-shift-workers has been put down to a faulty gas main.

Fire investigators discovered the problem main at Doncaster’s Precision Castings’ Deritend unit, in Ten Acres, Drotiwich, had been leaking and was ignited by a spark during manufacturing at the site on Friday, October 10.

Alec Mackie, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, said: “It was a fault in the gas main.

“The gas escaped and the main and caught fire from a spark from the manufacturing process.

“Once we had the gas shut off it was straightforward to deal with the fire.”

More than 60 firefighters from across Worcestershire were scrambled to the Berry Hill Industrial Estate after fire took hold in the factory’s heat processing plant at about 2am.

Crews’ efforts were complicated by the presence of chemicals on the site used in the castings process and personnel had to wear protective gear and breathing apparatus to deal with the blaze.

A spokeswoman for Deritend’s parent company, Doncaster’s Group Ltd, said the firm was “continuing its investigations into the incident.”