Dowty's Staverton HQ severely damaged by fire
Above: Dowty Propellers has offices, manufacturing facilities and development/test services all located on its site at Staverton.
The company’s facility is sited on the north side of Gloucestershire airport, between Cheltenham and Gloucester.
Images from the scene show severe damage to the plant but the potential effect on production is unclear.
Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue states that 80% of the factory building has been "severely damaged" by the blaze.
It says its emergency crews were alerted to a fire in the roof space of the production facility just after midnight on 5 February. Twenty-nine personnel were evacuated without injury. Some 250 staff are employed at the facility.
The Fire and Rescue Service said: "On arrival, local crews discovered a rapidly-developing fire through the roof space.
"Fire crews were able to surround the fire and prevent it spreading to the adjacent premises.
"Efforts were focused on the building’s fire separating walls and prevented the main office block from fire damage."
Eighty firefighters attended the scene, the service says, before the blaze was brought under control. "Our firefighters have battled in sub-zero temperatures to deal with this major fire," said chief fire officer Stewart Edgar. "We will now be focusing our efforts on identifying the cause.”
The company’s main telephone line is not functioning and Dowty could not immediately be reached for comment.
Dowty is associated with GE Aviation and builds propellers for a broad range of aircraft including regional airliners.
It manufactures propellers for the Bombardier Q400 and the new Chinese-built Xian Aircraft MA700. Its products are also fitted to the Fokker 50, Saab 340 and Saab 2000.
