Triumph factory blaze: Video added

Fire tore through Triumph’s Hinckley factory on Friday leaving Britain’s biggest bike firm in a state of disarray.

For more on this, complete with dramatic pictures, see MCN, out on Wednesday, March 20. To see the video, shot by fire crews, click on the link on the right.

Firefighters were called to the scene when the fire at 8.41pm on Friday night. When the blaze was at its peak, at around midnight, 20 fire engines and 120 firefighters were at the scene.

It took two more hours before the blaze was under control. The work continued throughout the night and the following day to totally extinguish the fire. Even on Sunday, as demolition crews moved in to begin clearing the effected areas, two fire engines were still on site.

Triumph bosses believe it will take up to four months to get production back to normal.

But the firm is keen to reassure staff and customers that they will not be affected by the disaster. In a written statement issued by the company, managing director Karl Wharton said: " The fire, which was confined to a section of the assembly area, was quickly brought under control and has only affected certain areas at one of our four production and distribution centres in Hinckley. No-one was hurt and all of our 650 UK staff are being informed that their jobs are secure.

" It will have no immediate impact on motorcycles ready for distribution held in our network of bike stores in the UK, Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan and other countries. "

However, the fire is bound to have an impact on the firm’s ability to keep production up to its normal level.

The building struck by the fire contains the firm’s original production line, which has since been supplemented by new facilities in another factory on the same industrial estate in Hinckley. The new factory is where the majority of the bikes are assembled, and where the frames and swingarms are manufactured, as well as containing the manufacturing equipment for the Bonneville’s two-cylinder engine. However, the old building still houses the facilities for manufacturing and assembling most of Triumph’s three and four cylinder engines, and is where the completed bikes are given quality checks before being dispatched. The building is also believed to contain the firm’s research and development area, as well as the firm’s main office complex, although it is not clear how much damage these areas sustained.

So far, fire experts have been unable to establish the cause of the blaze.