Amazon's Staffordshire warehouse calls in fire crews to tackle blaze weeks before Christmas
More than 1,000 workers were evacuated after a fire was tackled at Amazon's huge warehouse in Rugeley prompting a police investigation.
Dozens of firefighters from six crews attended the blaze at around 2.10am today, with workers believed to have been evacuated.
The fire spread in the picking area of the large distribution centre, with it preparing for its busiest time of the year ahead of Christmas.
Amazon's Rugeley distribution centre serves millions of customers across the UK
More than 1,500 permanent staff work at the sprawling site
Staffordshire Police today confirmed an investigation in under way into the blaze
More than 1,000 workers were evacuated from the site after the blaze in the early hours today
Amazon confirm a fire has taken place, claiming it was small in scale
Amazon say 'contingency' plans are in place to help distribution from its other centres while the aftermath of the Rugeley blaze is dealt with.
It is unclear at this stage which this means for deliveries of Christmas orders ahead of the festive season.
Staffordshire Police confirmed officers are investigating the cause of the blaze at the centre.
In a statement, the force said: "The fire was safely extinguished and Staffordshire Police forensic investigators were able to examine the scene of the incident.
"CID colleagues are still on scene and our enquiries are ongoing into the cause of the incident."
Amazon issued a brief statement to the Express & Star saying: "There was a small fire in the Rugeley fulfilment centre in the early hours of this morning which was quickly extinguished."
The blaze came after the online delivery giant looked to recruit more than 4,000 staff at its Staffordshire base.
Bosses aimed to hire 4,500 workers for roles in the run-up to Christmas at its Fulfilment Centre, as part of its seasonal recruitment drive.
The site's vast warehouse dispatches items to Amazon's millions of customers across the country.
The centre employs around 1,500 permanent members of staff.
Amazon's seasonal recruitment campaign will see more than 20,000 people up and down the UK taken on.
Anyone with information to help the investigation is asked to call Staffordshire Police on 101 and quote incident 77 of 14 November or Crimestoppeers on 0800 555 111.
