A fire broke out at the £70m regional distribution centre of supermarket giant Lidl, next to the A1 in Peterborough. Solar panels on the roof of the giant warehouse – which employs 400 people – caught fire.
The centre opened four years ago.
The 45,000 m² distribution centre spans an area equivalent in size to that of more than eight football pitches; it replaced smaller warehouse at Lutterworth.
The warehouse, which initially served 48 stores, uses a natural refrigerant system, which heats and cools the entire building.
More than 40 firefighters are on the scene.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said they called to deal with the blaze at 1.50pm today.
Along with solar panels these generate 10 per cent of the total electricity required by the building.
More details as we get them
