Firefighters were called out yesterday to the scene of a huge fire that broke out at the interconnexion France-Angleterre electrical grid interconnector site in Ashford, England.

The fire caused a mass evacuation of staff and nearby residents while fire engines line up to tackle the blaze.

In a statement, Kent Fire and Rescue Service commented: “Kent Fire and Rescue Service remains at the scene of a fire at a National Grid site in Church Lane, Sellindge near Ashford. Ten fire engines, a height vehicle and a bulk water carrier are now in attendance. Progress is being made, however firefighters are expected to be on site for some hours to come. 

At the height of the incident, 12 fire engines plus other specialist vehicles were fighting the fire using compressed air foam to prevent the fire from spreading to other nearby buildings. So far there has been no confirmation as to what caused the fire, but the operator, RTE, have confirmed that the site is expected to be out of operation until at least mid October.