DETAILS have been revealed after a fire broke out during construction of a £1.2bn submarine. 

Fire crews from Walney and Barrow, as well as paramedics, were called to the annexe building of the New Assembly Shop at the shipyard site at around 11.15am on Wednesday. 

The fire is believed to have started in one of the tank spaces on section eight of the sixth Astute submarine, set to be called Agamemnon. Section eight of a submarine is the front, domed part of the boat which houses the torpedo tubes. 

A plastic sheet put in place to protect the submarine is understood to have caught fire as a result of welding sparks. The blaze was extinguished by BAE employees but two Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service crews attended to offer assistance. 

No damage was caused to the submarine itself, and no one was injured during the incident. 

In a statement released on the day of the fire, a spokeswoman for BAE Systems said the fire had been "quickly extinguished". 

The shipyard in Barrow employs a number of 'fire watchers' - individuals whose role is to supervise any 'hot works' such as welding and stand by with a fire extinguisher ready to tackle any blaze which breaks out. 


File photo from 2009 when a dramatic fire broke out onboard HMS Astute.  The system is understood to be incredibly effective and was part of a raft of safety measures implemented following previous similar incidents at the shipyard. 

These include the shipyard's own fire crews - four shifts of eight BAE firefighters employed by Securitas who are available to respond immediately to incidents. Because of the nature of the work carried out by BAE in Barrow, the Ministry of Defence is involved in all aspects of the business - including fire prevention and investigation. 

Regular, usually monthly, meetings are held between shipyard managers, representatives from the government and Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service bosses.