Lidl thanked Cambridgeshire firefighters for their efforts in saving their £70m Peterborough distribution centre in February after a fire broke out by donating an apposite cheque for £999 to a firefighters’ charity. Jasper Parsons, Lidl GB regional director, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the quick actions of the firefighters who helped put out the fire at our warehouse.
“Our distribution centres form the backbone of our operations with the Peterborough warehouse alone serving 80 stores, delivering household essentials to local communities across multiple regions.
“This donation is a small token of our appreciation for everyone’s hard work and attentiveness. We are truly thankful for the invaluable service that the crews across the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service deliver every day.”
The cheque was handed over at Stanground Fire Station.
Lidl makes speedy recovery from solar panel fire at £70m Peterborough depot
Blue watch was on hand to accept the donation; they were the first crew to arrive at the fire, joining a total of 11 fire engines and around 40 firefighters, as well as a water carrier and an aerial appliance.
Crews from across the county worked swiftly to contain and ultimately extinguish the fire. Their quick actions ensured that everyone working on site was kept safe and any damage to the building was reduced, enabling operations to continue the same day.
Station Commander Jason Fox said: “The incident was a challenging one for our crews, but their quick actions and hard work limited the damage to the building and allowed Lidl to be operational again the same day, reducing impact to the business.
“Our control colleagues also did a brilliant job behind the scenes, ensuring enough fire crews were sent to the incident as well as moving other crews around the county to ensure fire cover for other incidents that could come in.”
The Fire Fighters Charity provides vital support to firefighters and their families across the UK.
The fire broke out at the regional distribution centre of Lidl, next to the A1 in Peterborough, in February.
Solar panels on the roof of the giant warehouse – which employs 400 people – caught fire.
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.
