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Page last updated at 20:43 GMT, Wednesday, 11 February 2009

Fire in underground storage site

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Firefighters have been tackling the blaze in the former MoD bunker

An emergency operation has been taking place at an underground storage site in Wiltshire after a fire broke out.

About 50 firefighters were dealing with the blaze in Corsham, venting smoke from the former mine which is up to to 100ft (30m) underground.

The spokesman said it was thought the fire, in a site at Monks Park, was caused by an electric forklift truck.

The site is owned by Leafield Logistics which buys and sells surplus MoD equipment and stores it there.

The company has confirmed no explosives are located at the former mine.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is advising people who live in the Corsham area to stay at least 500m (550 yards) away from the MoD site at Monk's Park.

The HPA said advice issued earlier to the people living in the village of Gastard to stay indoors and close their windows had since been lifted.

A team from Mines Rescue was working with Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to tackle the fire. They were expected to remain at the scene throughout the night.



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FROM OTHER NEWS SITES
Bath Chronicle Mine fire operation could take days - 2 hrs ago
Western Daily Press Mine fire will burn for days - 3 hrs ago
Wiltshire Times Mine firefighting operation continues - 8 hrs ago



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