A HUGE fire and explosions at a Thornbury transport depot destroyed eight lorries and woke residents for miles around.
The fire broke out at the Gist distribution centre in Short Way in the early hours of this morning.
Flames and a large plume of smoke could be seen rising from a yard backing on to Midland Way, as captured in the picture (above) by Jack Commons.
An Avon Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson said operators received “multiple 999 calls” shortly after 1.30am.
Thornbury firefighters were joined by crews from Avonmouth, Yate, Patchway, Southmead, Bristol city centre, Pill, Nailsea, Chew Magna, Kingswood and Portishead to tackle the blaze.
The spokesperson said: “On arrival, firefighters found a fire involving eight HGV lorries and used a turntable ladder, along with a drone, to observe the scene, as well as using the turntable ladder as a water tower.
“A full evacuation took place, and all persons were accounted for. There were fortunately no casualties.”
The spokesperson said 24 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the blaze, with some of the crews staying behind to dampen down any remaining hotspots and ensure the are was safe.
The fire is believed to have started accidentally.
Residents reported being woken up by explosions from the lorries across Thornbury as well as in Alveston, Olveston and Almondsbury.
Explosions make nearby houses shake
Several posted on the Spotted in Thornbury BS35 Facebook group to say the explosions “made the whole house shake”, with one saying it “sounded like a war”.
A resident living a mile from the scene in Alveston said: “The explosions rattled my windows!”
During the incident the fire service issued advice for residents to keep windows closed and avoid the area.
Several other lorries parked near the blazing vehicles were reportedly moved away by drivers working at the depot, under supervision from the police.
Distribution firm Gist specialises in transporting goods using refrigerated lorries and was bought by Marks & Spencer in 2022.
Many of its vehicles carry stock for M&S stores in branded trailers.
The Voice asked M&S about the effects of the fire.
An M&S spokesperson said: “We are grateful to firefighters from Avon & Somerset Fire & Rescue, who handled a fire on a small number of lorries at Gist’s Thornbury depot overnight.
“All our colleagues are safe, the depot itself did not catch fire and operations resumed earlier this morning.”