An explosion rocked the technical and manufacturing centre of construction and civil engineering expert Stirling Lloyd (Birch Vale / UK; www.stirlinglloyd.com). Dozens of people were evacuated from their homes on Friday as firefighters were struggling to gain control over the blaze at the plastics factory. Crews were only able to put out the flames late Saturday evening and residents returned to their homes on Sunday.

British media report that no one was injured by the fire, whose cause remains unknown. Commenting on the incident, David Lloyd, the company’s managing director, said: “We are extremely thankful that, to the best of our knowledge, nobody has been injured through this incident. We must also offer our apologies to any local residents who were asked to evacuate their homes as a safety precaution and our heartfelt thanks go to the local emergency services.”