STAFF had to be evacuated after machinery caught fire at an Oxfordshire flour mill this morning.

Fire crews from Burford, Chipping Norton, and Witney were called to the scene at FWP Matthews Flour Millers in Station Road, Shipton under Wychwood at around 8.20am.

The alarm was quickly raised when a shrink-wrapping machine caught fire at the site near Chipping Norton.

By the time firefighters arrived the mill had been safely evacuated and was filled with smoke.

Crews worked with on-site maintenance staff to isolate and dismantle the machine to remove the source of the smoke.

Using high powered fans, firefighters then cleared the building of smoke to allow staff to re-enter within 90 minutes.

Station Manager Guy Dunkley who oversaw the incident said: “This incident could have been significantly worse, if it hadn’t been for the prompt response of the staff working in the building to isolate it, evacuate and call us at an early stage to work with us.

“This approach has prevented this incident escalating, and allowed the business to be back up and running within 90 minutes, whilst the affected machinery has been cooled and handed back to the site staff.

“It just goes to show what effective planning and procedures can do.”

The fire has been confirmed as accidental.