Major incident declared as fire crews tackle blaze in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue were called to fire at a warehouse on the Sanders Lodge industrial estate in Rushden at 6:30am
Last updated 23rd May 2025
Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue have declared a major incident as they tackle a blaze in Rushden which started in the early hours of the morning.
Fire crews say they are currently in attendance at a fire at a warehouse on the Sanders Lodge industrial estate in Rushden.
A huge plume of smoke can be seen for miles around with many taking to social media to post their images.
Northamptonshire Police say road closures are now in place around the site with the following roads closed:
• Full closure of all slip roads at junction 16 of the A45, both eastbound and westbound (the A45 itself is open past the scene)
• Ditchford Road, between the junction with Mill Road and the A45
• Northampton Road at the junction with Wellingborough Road
• Wellingborough Road at the junction with Washbrook Road
A section of Wellingborough Road near the warehouse is closed as well.
Crews were called shortly before 6.30am, and say the building was evacuated prior to their arrival, with everyone thankfully accounted for.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue say:
"We currently have 12 fire engines on scene, as well as three aerial appliances, two water bowsers and a high-volume pump. We are receiving cross border support from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in dealing with this incident, and we anticipate we will be on scene for the rest of the weekend."
Area Manager Mick Berry, from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:
“This is a large fire that is having a significant impact on the Sanders Lodge industrial estate in Rushden. A multi-agency decision has been taken to declare a Major Incident, but fire crews are working extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading and reduce the smoke plume.
We would urge people to stay away from the site while emergency services deal with this incident and ask nearby residents to close windows and doors due to the large amount of smoke issuing from the site. We anticipate that we will be on scene over the rest of the weekend, and we appreciate the impact this is having on local businesses on the estate and would like to thank them for their patience.”
Residents are advised to please avoid the area and find alternative routes while our emergency services deal with this incident.
Please keep your windows and doors closed.
The fire service say they anticipate they will be on scene for the rest of the weekend.