A fire broke out at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday June 15 at the Paragon Group's Wigston, England, site dedicated to incoming mail. Local media reported that the thick smoke billowing from the 250-strong building could be seen for 16 kilometers around. The photos published by the fire chief are indeed impressive.
At the height of the fire, eleven fire trucks and other aid vehicles were on the scene to extinguish the flames. Roads were closed, trains on the nearby railroad line were stopped and residents were asked to stay away.
Crews continued to work throughout the night to extinguish the flames. And at the time of writing, Friday 6pm, the incident is still ongoing, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service informs us. An investigation is expected to be launched later today. The extent of the damage can then be determined.
Matthew Cane, operations manager for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, told local newspaper LeicestershireLive, however, that only one of the buildings on the 15,000 m 2 had been spared by the fire, and it was highly likely that the entire building would have to be demolished.
Paragon Group, which offers direct mail, transactional printing, digitalization and outsourcing solutions, employs around 9,700 people and has some 130 sites in 20 countries. The Wigston site affected by the fire had been acquired in 2019, with the purchase of RR Donnelley's European Global Document Solutions business.
