Hundreds of workers were at home today after an exclusion zone was set up around a Northumberland factory destroyed by fire.
 The 200-metre area surrounding the Precision Hydraulic Cylinders Cascade plant on the Bassington estate in Cramlington was imposed for 24 hours because of the danger of acetylene cylinders exploding. Workers from four other nearby firms were told to stay at home. Firefighters battled through the night to control the ferocious blaze which started at about 4.30pm yesterday. Flames ripped through the factory and choking smoke engulfed homes and other factories. Late last night and early today hotspots were still breaking out as efforts continued to bring it under control. People living nearby were warned to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. At the height of the fire, Sylvia Dale, whose home in Loughrigg Avenue, Beacon Hill, near the industrial estate, said: "There was loads and loads of smoke billowing out in huge black clouds. "It keeps coming like in waves - one minute it dies down and then it flares back up again." She added: "I've had to make sure my children are all inside. One of my sons said he saw bits of plastic flying through the air in all the black smoke." Police sealed off Nelson Drive on the Bassington estate as the exclusion zone was enforced. Staff from the nearby American Air Filters, Cova Solvents, Hubbway and H&A factories were unable to go to work today. Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service's six crews were joined by teams from the Tyne & Wear Fire Brigade with specialist equipment Just before midnight the blaze flared up again and broke through the factory roof, and a close watch is being kept on other hotspots in case they also flare up. The company makes cylinders for the heavy-plant market and employs about 100 people. It was the subject of a management buy-out 18 months ago. Andy Clough, divisional officer for Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service, said: "It was a very rapid fire within the paint-spray area and a lot of the roof collapsed. "For safety reasons we weren't able to enter the building. so we've just been pouring water from the outside." A worker inside the factory when the fire began said: "There seemed to be a build-up of mist in the factory which, during the afternoon, started to make me feel nauseous. It was so bad we had to open all the windows and let some fresh air in. "Half an hour later the fire alarm started and we all walked out still thinking it was a false alarm. "Within a few minutes the factory was engulfed in flames. It spread so quickly we couldn't believe it was happening. "There are gas canisters in there, but the flames spread so fast the fire could have started anywhere in the factory - who knows what will happen to the firm now." | 
