Fire near St Mary's Stadium: here is all we know so far

A huge black column of smoke dominated the city skyline, emanating from a raging inferno at the Polystar Plastics unit in Melbourne Street which began around lunchtime.

It could be seen from miles around, with sightings of smoke plumes as far afield as the Isle of Wight and Winchester.

READ MORE: Fire breaks out near St Mary's Stadium, Southampton - as it happened

An investigation has been launched into the fire, which was believed to have been caused by combustible plastic storage units catching alight.

Shortly after the fire service was called at 1.05pm, firefighters began arriving from across the county to quench the flames - but the toxic plume of smoke forced St Mary's Primary School in Ascupart Street to close.

The warehouse was cordoned off by police, shutting Marine Parade and Britannia Road, and paramedics treated one person at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Buses were also forced to divert as a result. Some 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at its peak.

Stunned workers, shoppers, and passers-by gathered behind the police cordon ‘in shock’ at what was unfolding.

Delivery driver Sebastian Rusu, 29, had been shopping in the city centre when he first saw the smoke.

He told the Echo, shortly after the fire began: “I was in the city centre and saw the smoke and thought it was coming from the football stadium.

“I followed the smoke and arrived here.

“I’ve been here for around 30 minutes, and everything has been moving really quickly.

“The police have moved us back and we’re just waiting to see what happens now.”

Nikki Delaney was in the area when the factory went up in flames.

She said at the time: "The flames are high and it's getting worse.

"The heat from the flames is a lot and I'm not even close."

Harry McBain, a 19-year-old student from Solent University, told the Echo: “It was a shock, I saw the huge clouds of smoke from university.

“I saw that everyone was posting about it on social media, so I thought I had to go and check it out. It was unreal.”

Throughout the afternoon, firefighters battled with the flames, which destroyed most of the building.

Videos shared on social media showed walls collapsing into the raging blaze as tongues of flame licked what remained of the structure.

As the fire service warned people to stay away and road closures surrounded St Mary's Stadium, just a stone's throw away from the unit, Saints had no choice but to cancel its Championship match against Preston North End FC which was due to kick off at 7.45pm.

Hythe Ferry's late-night crossing was also called off as a result.

By around 5.30pm, piles of rubble covered by a collapsed roof were all that remained of part of the building.

As the sun began to set, the plume of smoke had calmed from the roiling black pillar of a few hours prior to a billowing but lighter grey cloud as the firefighters brought the blaze under control.

Speaking to the Echo around this time, Malachi Crawfield-Blackthorn said: "Me and my brother we were in IKEA around 1pm when we saw the smoke and we knew he had to get here.

“Initially we thought it was nearer the city centre and when we got here I initially thought ‘it it gonna take out the stadium?’ but fortunately it seems like it’s under control now.

“It was a torrent of black smoke when we got here, it was wider as well.

“I was just hoping no one gets injured and the fact there were no casualties is a massive blessing."

He added: “I’m sure some people were annoyed that the match was cancelled but the good news is that no one was injured.”

Paul Reddish, group manager at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Service (HIWFRS) described it as a ‘substantial fire’ with 'lots of combustibles'.

He said: “Eighteen crews and around 100 firefighters from all over the county have been tackling the well-developed fire.

“It has used a lot of the crews’ services.

“Crews have been pumping water from the River Itchen and there is no known cause to the fire yet."

He said an investigation had been launched into the cause, adding: "The fire is under control and crews will remain at the scene for the rest of today and tomorrow.”

He also reiterated the earlier advice for residents in the area to stay home and keep windows closed.

The fire, almost impossible to ignore for anyone in Southampton, drew response from all corners of the community: from concerned residents going about their daily business, to city councillor Lee Whitbread, who spotted the smoke as he headed into a budget meeting at the civic centre.

An unlikely message of concern came from comic David Baddiel, who was staying in the city for a show at The Berry Theatre in Hedge End.

He said: "Hope everyone is safe."

A spokesperson for the fire service gave more detail about what firefighters would be doing overnight.

They said: "Over that time, our presence will scale down as the fire is fully extinguished and the smoke plume dissipates.

“Residents in the area affected by the smoke plume are advised to keep doors and windows closed.

“Some roads local to the incident are closed and people are advised to avoid the area to allow movements of emergency vehicles.”