Fire at Essity's Prudhoe Tissue Mill Quickly Contained, Operations Resume

PAPER INDUSTRY NEWS

Jino John

7/29/20261 min read

A fire at Essity's Prudhoe tissue mill in Northumberland on Friday night was quickly contained by emergency services, allowing the site to resume operations within hours with no reported injuries.

The fire broke out at approximately 9 p.m. on July 24 on one of the mill's two paper machines. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service responded with four fire appliances and an aerial ladder platform, remaining on site until 1 a.m. on Saturday.

Martin Hallissey, site director at Prudhoe Mill, said the incident was brought under control swiftly and confirmed that production resumed shortly afterwards.

"The fire started on one of our two paper machines late on Friday night, but was quickly dealt with by fire and rescue, who stayed on site until 1 am on Saturday," Hallissey said.

He added that no injuries were reported and that the company does not expect any disruption to customer deliveries.

"We are grateful to our staff and firefighters for managing the situation quickly and professionally," Hallissey said.

A spokesperson for Northumberland County Council said the fire affected the second floor and roof of the factory.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service revisited the Prudhoe site on Saturday to carry out a further inspection.