A major fire broke out early Wednesday morning at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow, Cumbria, where new nuclear submarines are currently being constructed.

The incident triggered a rapid response from emergency services, with two individuals hospitalised for suspected smoke inhalation. Authorities have confirmed there is no nuclear threat to the area.

The fire reportedly originated within Devonshire Dock Hall, the facility’s primary assembly site, where a £1.6 billion Astute-class submarine is under construction. Footage captured by local residents shows heavy smoke billowing from the building, prompting officials to urge those nearby to keep windows and doors shut and avoid the area.

Cumbria Police released a statement at 4 AM, stating: “Emergency services are currently in attendance at BAE at a significant fire at the site… there is no nuclear risk.” They also confirmed that all personnel within the affected area have been evacuated and accounted for.

Residents expressed concerns on social media, noting the blaze could be seen for miles around. One local described hearing a “loud thump” prior to the fire, while another commented on the unsettling sight of flames at a facility of such significance. Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service has advised residents to remain indoors while firefighters work to contain the blaze.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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102 COMMENTS

  1. Hoping that the 2 hospitalised are OK. Sounds serious, a lot at stake here, not just for UK security but NATO as well.

    • indeed. while welding is known to have caused many fires in shipyards, like La Perle sub in France not long ago, it does seem odd to have a fire cause by work on ship at around midnight (maybe not if that shipyard runs 24/7, idk).

      without being a conspiracy theorist by nature, the current geopolitical context is ripe motivation for activists and foreign state actors. there have been plenty of incidents in recent years targeting western military industry.

      the next big question is the effects on submarine production due to damage.

      no matter what happened, I expect the situation will be resolved swiftly since this shipyard is vital to the UK’s national interest, as well as Europe.

        • yes France’s FDI frigate cables were cut in 2023, just a couple of months after a similar incident happened to Type 26 in Glasgow
          Also french underwater cables were cut south of Toulon, France in 2022. Not a simple thing to do since it requires special equipment not avaliable to public.
          Plus recent suspected Russian assassination attempt against Rheinmetall CEO in Germany.
          Not to mention recent attacks in UK against military companies, Elbit, Leonardo and Thales.

          • Sabotage will obviously be part of post-fire investigations, however more likely to be an internal factory system failure.

      • I was once in Pompey on the old HMS Blake, I was tasked one evening with being a welding sentry in a old no longer used fuel tank. it being out of use wasn’t much of a comfort there was still a strong residue the way the dickies hands were shaking didn’t make it a better

      • With the UK’s open borders and the repeal by Labour of the death penalty for treason in causing a fire in one of His Majesties dockyards anything is possible. Sleep on if you will.

    • First thought I had when I read the headline.
      There have been a number of suspected and mostly proven cases of sabotage at military production facilities across Europe, not to mention the foiled assassination of Rheinmettal’s CEO. Not to mention that MI5 and MI6 have been warning about this from Russia for some time.
      If it does turn out to be sabotage, an appropriately robust response should be made- I’m sick of bending over backwards and pretending that this is not material escalation from the other side that should be responded to.

      • I doubt the truth will come out if it is. I can see the headlines coming out of Miscow though, caused by a cigarette. They are going to have a field day. It’s certainly going to put our programmes back though. Do BAE have any fullback options?

        • They’ll certainly be happy to see it, will be interesting to see if there’s any claim to it, vague threats about what happens to those who cross Russia, or just some criticism of lax standards.
          No, I’m 99.9% certain there aren’t any other facilities for sub manufacture in the UK. Hopefully it’s just a lot of oil smoke, and not much structurally damaged.

      • if it is sabotage, then I’d call it a warlike act against the U.K not an act of war, but whatever it was then just a pointy finger and you naughty boys shouting. a fitting and robust reply must be made, I’m sick of the softy way we are seen to make in issues like this if the cyber warfare is as big as it is rumoured to be, id feel better knowing that the U.KNhadbresponded in kind.in the cass of the illegals coming over, if WE DO KNOW WHO IS behind it, I’d say identify their boats and sink them before the cargo is loaded let those people know that if they want blood money, they’ll need to buy a new boat with it.

      • anybody who has worked in a factory, will know that they are dirty oily, hot places and in the main a giant fire risk. health and safety checkung has never been what you would call robust. this kind of incident can happen anywhere

        • Yup. I served my apprenticeship many moons ago (gawd where did the time go!) and the machine shops and fitting shops all had oil soaked floors. The concrete was designed to soak it up to reduce slips and falls, after all a fall next to a spinning Herbert lathe with an 18″ chuck plate at full speed could easily be the last thing you did. That means there is plenty of old oil to gas off in a fire…

          One of the witnesses is quoted as hearing a loud thump prior to the fire. Could be a small fire broke out somewhere causing a build up of gas or vapour which led to a much bigger fire…

          All speculation, of course, but there are alternative scenarios to Putin’s Russia pulling a fast one – not that I would rule that out mind. It will be interesting to see what the investigation comes up with. I would point out though, that any delay at Barrow doesn’t just delay the RN’s programs, the AUKUS boats could be delayed as well given how tight everything is at the moment. Russia doing China a favour?

          Cheers CR

  5. The MDP provide security at this site I believe.
    If this is Russian Grey Zone they’d better grip this and up security.
    I assume all the new BAES staff are being correctly vetted?

      • I believe MDP is present at several non MoD facilities, from CNI Gas Terminals to at one time the Royal Mint.
        I need to check later, but GCHQ, Raynesway and Barrow are also listed.

        • M8 I’m not going down any Rabbit holes re sabotage, nor saying this could be calamitous to U.K submarine production. By nature I’m rather cautious about these things, (years spent on accident investigations) so I’ll play devils advocate.

          Barrow is a simply massive site and to 100% secure it physically you would need a small army. But if you’ve ever been there or at quite a lot of the U.K. nuclear establishment you quickly realise just how insular and generational it is staffing recruitment wise ! Bit like your line of work you have families of Railway bods 😉.

          When all is said and done in any industrial plant, “shit happens” and things go wrong. Unfortunately Electrical fires happen, someone forgets to switch something off or report a fault. It even happens in the military (they aren’t immune) it’s a fact and always has been (even in warships at sea).

          What I’d really be interested in is the Fire detection and prevention system, for something to spread like that is really worrying. In a site like this just shouldn’t happen and get out of hand, OK you can’t have sprinkler systems. I do have to wonder if perhaps (and I’m only speculating) the site has outgrown the capacity of the local Fire Services, Barrow is pretty remote. FYI here in Derby we are very fortunate due to our location and there are exercises that trigger all available resources from Derbys, Notts, Leicester plus EMA (all within 30 mins).
          It’s actually very impressive and did get used once for real in 1989 at EMA, see Kegworth Aircrash for details, it saved a lot of lives that night.

          Now glass half full, anyone who looks at heavy industrial facilities realises just how resilient they are to serious physical damage, and how quickly they can recover.
          Just think Coventry, RN Dockyards, Ruhr in WW2, Ukraine for details. Smoke damage to sensitive electrical components could be another issue.

          One thing is absolutely certain HSE, BAe and MOD will be all over this like a rash and any damage will be sorted PDQ.

          • Thanks for that mate. Yes, I remember the Kegworth disaster. I hope it is indeed just an accident.

          • FYI If it had been 4 feet higher it would have cleared the bank and landed on the runway. But 2 years beforehand they re developed the emergency procedures and it crashed 100m from the new Emergency services assembly area. They clobbered it with foam within seconds hence the numbers who survived.
            Train hard, fight easy is an old saying, which is why I wonder if Barrow has sufficient resources 🤔

          • Going off at a slight tangent, I have long wanted RAF Chinooks to have a few bambi buckets, so they can help out during major fires.

    • Morning mate, at present, given what’s happened across Europe over the last couple of years, I think there’s a very strong possibility that this is Russian grey zone. I’m hoping for an appropriate response if shown to be the case.

      • Morning Joe.
        It’s natural to speculate and to jump to that conclusion given the other fires that have occurred.
        Agree, It’s quite possible.
        Yes, if so, I’d hope to see Russian factories going up in smoke.
        The West can play in the grey zone too, and I’m sure we do. It’s just not openly acknowledged.

        • Indeed, I do wonder how many of those ‘smoking accidents’ in Russia are the result of sabotage- although Russia has plenty of potential enemies who may have carried them out.
          It certainly is beginning to feel a lot more unstable across Europe, and it does frustrate me that a large part of the media and public don’t seem to care.

          • Pride in nation diminished. “Nationalism” vilified by parts of the left and their media thralls. Is anything taught in schools beyond the wrongs of Empire?
            No wonder wider issues don’t resonate with so many.
            When it starts to directly affect them, if sabotage hits utilities and food, they will be hollering looking to partition blame.

          • Unfortunately a function (at least in my opinion) of familiarity breeding contempt; honestly I think a lot of people of all ages don’t realise just how good we have it here in the UK, how fortunate we are that we have a government who by-and-large look after the wider good of the nation, and where corruption, crime, etc. are relatively low. Even our public services and infrastructure, which we love to complain about, are actually pretty good by wider standards! We have a lot to be thankful for and proud about, and I think many don’t appreciate it.
            Hopefully it doesn’t take anything too horrific for it to be made clear…

          • Spot on.
            My dear departed Dad, as an immigrant from Italy in 1963, and who saw many parts of the world, would always say what a GREAT country this is and how fortunate we are to live here.

          • If I had been born in any other country I would have been in trouble when I contracted polio as a baby. In many other developed countries the medical bills would have been horrendous and in developing countries I would have died, of that I am in no doubt. The NHS has its problems but it represents the best of intentions of a nation that was emerging from a horrendous war.

            We live in a great country, but not a perfect country. A serious lack of investment in infrastructure and housing is having a negative impact on the younger generations (I see that in my own family), but that can be put right and needs to be urgently. There is much to do but I believe we can make the changes and build on what we have. We just need some strong leadership and to be told the truth. 🙄Hmm

            Fingers crossed for the future.

            CR

          • Dream on. The New government is borderline personally corrupt and certainly partial to reward its voter base and clobber the OAP’s and the farmers in the open for all to see and that worries me.

          • Hi Daniele,

            I’m not so sure about the idea patriotism has gone from these lands. Personally I hate nationalism – but I’m very patriotic and I think that is probably true for most of the population. The older generation (and I am now definitely in that bracket) have always moaned about the ‘youngsters’, my dad’s generation certainly thought my (our?) generation were soft, but I remember how that changed after the Falklands War. One of the commanders was quoted as saying how proud of is troops he was pointing out some were only 17 at the time. I remember him saying on the TV news just after the end of the fighting.

            The country is definitely a bit worn out after years of austerity and bad news, but I still think that people will rally if the poop really does hit the fan. Look how they turn out for Remembrance Sunday and how the children responded in recent years to school visits from WW1 and WW2 veterans – leadership will be needed of course – but I don’t think our nation has declined as much as we sometimes think. If a threat comes close I think there will be a response.

            Was it Churchill who said something along the lines of ‘democracies are slow to anger but when they do they can be fearsomely resolute’?

            Cheers CR

    • I think they have a presence there due to the nuclear materials and the need for armed security that renta-sleepy-bloke-in-cabin cannot offer.

      The problem with all of this is that CCTV, sensors and fences only get you so far with the mass of defence related site we have in the UK.

      In the past there would have a rapid response from Plod. However, now there are more Plod than army this cannot happen…the way public sector staffing operates is for the birds given the huge numbers employed in NHS / Police etc – more bodies than ever but less output.

      Plenty of people with the wrong priorities and taskings.

      • Agreed.
        And if this was sabotage, what if it was an inside job? You coukd have all the MDP and physical security you desire but it won’t stop that.
        Which was why I mentioned effective vetting earlier.
        I’ve no idea, but I assume workers involved with hands on or access to the build areas at Raynesway and Barrow are DV or enhanced?

        • Correct ! I can’t speak for Barrow but at Derby it’s very thorough, different levels for different zones within the overall plant. It’s a big like a Russian doll, plants within plants. As for MDP they have a presence but it varies depending on threat levels and material / component deliveries.

      • One of the big problems with NHS staffing is related to the reduction in skill mix. Although we have more staff all round what we are getting is more less qualified staff… so if you look at the number of GPs per 1000 people that’s the same now as it was in the 1950s but the level of work that gps do has gone through the roof as people are looked after with very complex conditions at home.. you have the rise associated practitioners and assistants…now it’s lovely to have a ward full of staff who are not registered nurses..as they are far cheaper…but there is plenty of evidence out there that less registered nurses means longer hospital stays and more significant harm as deterioration is missed or diagnosed later…all of which cost more..

        So your big issue around productivity is more people who are less qualified doing far more complex jobs ( people are sicker with more conditions )….so productivity in healthcare is going to go out the window..because the only way you increase productivity in healthcare is via more knowledge and experience ( the nurse with a masters and 20 years experience will spot the deterioration of a patient many hours or even days before a care assistant with btec in basic care will notice or report a problem…as they will only see it at the same time as a lay person…so when the patient is peri arrest).

    • Of course it could be someone who feels their own country needs to be taught a lesson on its stance in the Middle East and Israel.

      • Oh yes. We have plenty of 5th columnists.
        Some are in the party currently in power and there are plenty amongst the wider populace who don’t support their countries position on a range of issues.

        • Yes it could be, or any other person with a gripe. How ever offering up the alternative as white supremacist, you’ve fallen into your own trap of framing a narrative and if it was to frame me as a racist r bai then that’s pretty low level thinking given you have around 25 words to make that judgement and zero personal contact or other information. However I’ll not make that judgement or do you such a disservice.

          • I fell into no trap, my response was the very deliberate opposite of your statement, it was a counterpoint to you and absolutely not one that I would have posted otherwise.

            Your post, however, was entirely spontaneous, the first, and, only thing that you felt worth talking about. Your 25 words say a lot about you and you you chose them not me.

          • Oh, and by the way, I didn’t consider your post racist I considered it to be a very common anti left post in the vein of Donald Trump.

          • Wow so another attempt to discredit by mentioning trump. rather than enter into any sensible discussion. Really my heart goes out to you, let’s have hope not hate.

          • Comparison is not discredit, Trump blames everything on the “radical left” as far as I can see that is what you were doing? Or did you have another reason for suggesting that, mostly left wing people, were likely to want to inflict damage on their own country? All I did was propose (with a real example) that right wingers could be equally liable to act against our own interests.

            You will note that I not taking offence, and not expressing emotion to your posts.

          • So again a massive assumption on your part that that anyone supporting Gaza is on the left of politics. I never mention any political spectrum my post. I can assure you there’s many accross the political spectrum who do not support the government’s position on the middle east. But you know that because you don’t exist in a bubble and mix with people across the political spectrum, or at least I hope you do.

            You have brought right and left politics into this not me. I don’t subscribe to either, both are outdated ideologies and I prefer to follow principles like freedom, respect and compassion.

            My original post was based on story post in the.guardian another arms had be damaged by people unhappy with the situation in the middle east and therefore entirely plausible the same motivation come be at work. Much like the same press hadvremoted an uptick in Russian attempts to sabotage efforts across Europe thus the same type of plausibility exists.

          • Erm no my post was one of a few on the topic which some of which suggested Russia could be a suspect and also suggesting why countries like Iran wouldn’t be, so not at all spontaneous and ads to theme that stare and non tat actors have and interest in targeting UK defence industry

            Whilst you have doubled down on an accusation of racism with nothing to support any such claim, thats not even low but sad and i do feel sorry for you. And if you’re now angry after reading this then you need to be asking yourself a very serious question. Hate is an awafful thing after all.

          • Umm I specifically said that I didn’t consider your post to be racist.

            I said that it followed a common anti left wing meme as you proposed that the potential act of sabotage could have been caused by British people who disagreed with the UKs policy on Israel/Palestine.

            I can assure that I am not angry, and I hold no hate for you, but I am questioning why you chose to highlight what you did and start a conversation about traitors in our midst with absolutely no evidence.

    • I stayed with relatives in barrow last year and I was amazed that when defer(my dog) as in D for dog, get; the joke?,?ran away from me on a walk around the outside of the barrow yard that there was absolutely no security of any kind.

  6. In Germany, we recently had a fire at a Dynamit Nobel plant producing explosives… Not saying it is russian interference, but who knows… Its all speculation, of course.

  8. Important thing at this present time is that everyone is accounted for.
    Hope the two casualties with smoke inhalation will be O.K.
    MDP may well patrol the site. Police statement is from Cumbria police.

  9. Pure hypothetical speculation on my part, but what IF this were proven to be Russian/China/NKorea/Iranian sabotage, what should the UK’s response be?

    Or will the UK just cover up/put head in sand?

      • Agreed. I saw the Salisbury incident as an act of war personally. IF this incident at Barrow is proven to be ruzzian sabotage etc a tough response must be taken.

        But they wont cause they dont want to “escalate” things.

        Appeasement is sleep walking us into a WW3

        • Even if outrageous and clear Russain contempt for the UK rule of law and sovereignity, I don’t see Salisbury as an act of war. Afterall, it was not targetted at the UK nor a UK citizen, but rather a Russian one, and most importantly no one died.

          If it turns out to be the Russian involvement behind the Barrow fire, then I think the UK should seize the Russian funds in the UK as compensation for any damages and delays, a much better alternative than war.

          my 2 cents

          • Ultimately it will be hard to prove, Russia always looks to design attacks so there’s plausible deniability in the non aligned worlds eyes. So action by we would look like the aggressor.

          • Good start 🙂

            UK should have seized property assets ages ago but City/estate agencies/MPs have too much to lose with noses in trough.

          • Is it not the intent & the action that is the act of ear not the outcome.? Attempted murder is in my opinion the same as murder it was just you didnt do a proper job.

          • So Dawn Sturgess is still alive and well, wasn’t killed by discarded Novichuck and there isn’t a public enquiry going on about it ? Only person killed was a British citizen.

          • How have you missed the fact someone did die? An unrelated member of the public. Also a police officer suffered life changing affects that rendered him unable to continue working. Are you even from the UK?

    • The UK didnt cover up the sabotage of Type 26 in Glasgow. Even if details are not shared, the UK is fairly open abouts its issues, like most western countries and unlike Russia which does nothing but lie internationally and its people on a continual basis.

      Response will be to condemn it, but the UK (just like any sane western democracy) isnt going to war, invade or launch nukes over sabotage. Instead it will learn what went wrong and increase security measures to avoid this in the future.

        • not really. France replaced the ITAR component on Scalp/Storm Shadow when US blocked sale of missile to Egypt when they bought Rafale in 2015. So Egypt has ITAR free missiles, and it stands to reason that all missiles produced since then are ITAR free.

        • Ukraine can launch Storm Shadow from their SU24. They have used Storm Shadow multiple times in Crimea, Luhansk, Donest.

          in May 2024, Macron has said Ukraine could strike Russian soil but limited to military targets in Russia directly used to attack Ukraine.

          I think Starmer made a similar statement in July 2024 where he said “UK would allow defensive use of missile on targets within Russia”.

          So in theory Ukraine can use Storm Shadow on Russian soil limited to military targets involved in the war (ie airfields where Russian aircraft launch)

          Whether Ukraine has actually used the missile on Russian soil is an open question since it has never been officially acknowledged/reported.

          • then they have to wait for the first batch of Mirage 2000, which is scheduled to start delivery of a few planes in Q1 2025.

        • Since the UK is retiring T1 Typhoon, why not give them to Ukraine? unless there are other buyers I am not aware of.
          Typhoon could always get some rudimentary mods like SU24 did to carry Storm Shadow, since Storm Shadow gets its target info and terrain maps etc…pre-programmed before take off.
          T1 Typhoon with gun + Asraam would be very good combo to protect Ukrainian skies from cruise missiles and drones like Shahed.

          • There are two issues with that

            – a lot of Typhoon T1 is still current in T4 so you don’t want to risk that.
            – Typhoon is a very high performance item with intense maintenance requirements
            – the need for very clean long runways

            Typhoon is an amazing platform but it would be much better if some more F16’s were found as there is huge benefit in commonality of parts, maintenance and training…

    • Russia is very obvious suspect and already has form.

      I doubt it would be Iran, the UK stance on Gaza/ Lebanon is starting to align to their objectives re Isreal with talk now of full arms embargo so they’re not going to do anything that might cause UK government to change direction. N.Korea we’re not a main actor for them and I think China will be looking to see how they can work politically with the new government they would do anything that might upset that.

  10. UPDATE
    according to Sky News, the enquiry is focusing on faulty equipment as the cause of the fire. It seems incident has no links with foreign entities.

    pictures on Sky News site taken this morning show the outside with limited black smoke traces but nothing looking very serious, and most importantly it appears fire has been extinguished

    hard to get much info since all news are focused on budget 2024

    anyway seems the wost has been avoided.

  11. I think all this talk of sabotage needs to calm down a bit. Fires and incidents happen. Chances are, it’s something pretty mundane that has caused a very unfortunate fire.

  12. this kind of thing is bad news at any time, but especially so no, when our yards have full orders that will be delayed even more.

  13. This specific incident may or may not be a state actor. But our security services have stated that Russia ( and china ) are actively trying to sabotage and attack the Uk and its allies.

    One thing we forget at our peril is that Russia and china don’t see a separation between peace and war in the way the west does..they see peace as nothing more than a continuation of conflict and that war takes many forms not just the Kinect conflict of armies.

  14. Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, canned goods, psyops or accident.
    We’ll never know with the last leaders of our civilization runnin’ the show. ❤️✌️

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