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Well that was a hell of an end to the week.



Thursday morning at 1am I was called to the factory to find that one of our three factory units was smoking heavily and surrounded by fire engines.



We have two industrial units which are joined and connected to our other business EcuTeK International. www.ecutek.com. These units are 6, 7 and 8 Union Buildings.



At 1am there was a tremendous amount of smoke coming from Unit 6 only but from the most unusual places. The London Fire Brigade had cut a hole in the loading bay door and was pumping water in from two fire engines. There was aerial platform over Unit 6 pumping water in through the roof. A shocking sight.



Unit 6 was our production unit and accounts with 7 being the warehouse, offices and dispatch departments. Whilst I was horrified to see what had happened it was obvious to me that there was a huge Fire Brigade presence and that they would soon have everything under control. We would lose the production facility but at least all of the stock and computer systems would be OK.



Very soon after, more fire engines and pumps turned their attention to Unit 7 as smoke started to increase from every corner of the building. Windows were smashed to allow water to be pumped into the upstairs of Unit 7. By 3am it was obvious that we were going to lose the whole building and with smoke coming out of Unit 8 it was looking like EcuTeK was going to be destroyed as well.



By this time there were 19 Fire Engines outside our premises and over 100 fire fighters working to save both of our businesses.



It was now obvious that everything within the Powerflex building was destroyed and that it was likely that even the buildings would come down. When a 20 metre cone shaped flame burst through the roof of Unit 7 like a propane blow lamp, I knew that everything that we had built up over 13 years was over.



At this stage a leading fireman asked if there was anything important to be saved inside the EcuTeK building. My co-Director Steve said that the server was the most valuable thing in the building and explained that there was a disc array in the server cabinet.



With smoke pouring out of Unit 8 two Fireman went into the building wearing full breathing equipment and removed two disc racks with our main and back up data. Without any explanation and in a dark smoke filed server cabinet, they undid eight clips on each disc rack and carefully disconnected all of the cables to remove the racks without damage. Amazing.



The following hours were a blur but by 5am the fire was obviously under control and the EcuTeK building was safe. The Powerflex units of 6 and 7 had precious little roof and I knew that inside nothing could have survived.



With dawn breaking followed by the staff arriving for work this was the toughest time for everyone. The realization that the business had suffered a terrible blow and the fear for everyone’s jobs was very real.



As work started on the industrial estate we had a lot of people understandably shocked and curious.



Many business owners who I did not know came to see and commiserate. Everyone asked, genuinely if they could help.



We have several offers of storage and vans and equipment.



The current position is that the building has been inspected by the local council surveyor and he has passed it as structurally safe but has advised we do not enter. He told us that he knows we will and just advised us to be careful.



As you can see (Check photos) it is total destruction with nothing being salvageable.



That is the worst of the bad news.



The first piece of good news is that James Bourn had taken the daily full server back up home as per usual and all of the company data is complete and safe.



Within 12 hours of the start of the fire we have now rented new premises which are perfectly suitable for our needs.



The morning after the fire Dave Malone of Torque of the Devil contacted me to give me a set of keys to his offices and told me to come and pick anything we needed in his building. Special thanks Dave. www.torqueofthedevil.com



The building, contents, equipment and business are all insured and the data we have is safe.



Every single member of staff has pledged total support for anything that we do in the future and I have even had offers of factory guys saying they would work 24 hours a day seven days a week for no wages until we are back up and in our rightful place as Number One.



Within 18 hours of the start of the fire, we now have a complete disaster recovery plan being implemented.



We will keep everyone informed of our progress but we are confidently expecting to be in production within a very few weeks.



Please be loyal to us and watch our progress as we rebuild our temporarily shattered business.

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Originally posted by VXR
Brings a whole new meaning to burning rubber....

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