Bank of Dave star offers to airlift evacuees after fire at Burnley bread factory
Dave Fishwick offered to airlift evacuees after spotting a major fire at a Warburtons bread factory in Burnley from his helicopter.
The businessman, who inspired the Netflix film Bank of Dave after setting up his own bank, saw smoke coming from the roof of the Billington Road site on Monday afternoon.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to the scene at 2.45pm, with 12 fire engines and two aerial ladder platforms sent to tackle the blaze.
The public was advised to close windows and doors if they could see or smell smoke, stay away from the area and avoid flying drones nearby.
A spokesperson for Warburtons said everyone was safely evacuated from the building. The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are not yet known.
Fishwick shared footage of the blaze on TikTok, filmed from his helicopter, showing large plumes of smoke rising from the factory.
Speaking from the cockpit, he said: “We’re just above Burnley, just flying over, and I hope everybody’s OK – there’s a huge fire, just down there, look at that.
“It’s unbelievable how big the fire is. I just hope everybody’s alright. I’m going to call the fire brigade now and just make sure they know about it.
“The big factory roof looks like it’s going up. It looks like it’s Warburtons, Warburtons factory, going up in flames.”
Fishwick said he contacted the fire service from the air, but crews were already on their way to the incident.
Praising Burnley’s emergency services as “fantastic”, he added: “Give me a call if you need anybody airlifting.”
In the caption to his video, he wrote: “I’m available to airlift anyone to the hospital. Send me a DM.”