Fire crews dashed to the scene and police blocked off the road as smoke could be seen for miles around
Video at link above
Postal vans at a Royal Mail sorting office burst into flames and caused plumes of smoke to billow into the air above a Welsh town. The incident happened shortly before 9pm on Wednesday night at a sorting office in the Pensarn area of Carmarthen.
Smoke could be seen for miles around as flames engulfed two vans that were well alight and parked in the car park.
Fire crews from Carmarthen and Pontyates tackled the blaze, and police were on the scene to warn drivers to stay clear of the area. Pensarn Road, which runs alongside the sorting office, was blocked off by police as motorists were turned away and advised to take other routes.
Video footage captured at the scene shows the intense nature of the blaze, with thick black smoke pouring into the sky and flames spitting from one of the affected vans. Fire crews were able to quickly access the vans via Stephens Way and extinguish the fire before it spread further.
The cause of the fire was said to be accidental and not suspicious, and no-one was injured. The fire was extinguished after around half an hour, and crews left the scene shortly after 9.30pm. Royal Mail has confirmed that three vans were damaged in total, but the actual cause of the blaze is not yet known.
Smoke flows from one of the vans and into the air in Pensarn on Wednesday night (Image: Media Wales)
A spokeswoman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “At 8.54pm on Wednesday (July 20), crews from Carmarthen and Pontyates attended two vehicles on fire in the yard of the Royal Mail Sorting Office, Pensarn, Carmarthen. The vehicles were well alight on arrival, and fire was fought by crews using breathing apparatus and two hose reels jets, a thermal imaging camera, and foam. The cause was accidental, no persons were injured, and crews left the scene at 21:33pm.”
A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “Emergency services attended our Carmarthen delivery office after a fire broke out on Wednesday evening, damaging three vehicles. Nobody was injured in this incident, and we expect it to have no impact on services to customers. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and we will assist in full with any inquiry which the emergency services may undertake.”