THE investigation into the fire which gutted a Worcester warehouse may take two or three weeks to conclude, the fire service has warned.

The company that owns the warehouse, ArrowXL, has released pictures showing the devastation caused inside the building at the Blackpole East Trading Estate by the fire on Thursday, April 20.

Some 70 firefighters from across Herefordshire and Worcestershire tackled the blaze, and though they extinguished it the same day, crews remained on site until Saturday as a precaution.

An investigation into the cause of the fire began straight away, but a spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said it has not yet come to a conclusion.

"It's going to be two or three weeks until the investigation is concluded, because of the condition of the building," said the spokesman.

This week, fire authority chairman paid tribute to the hard work of the fire crews who dealt with the blaze.

Derek Prodger said: "Their response was magnificent. The crews worked very hard, not only in extinguishing the blaze, but also staying on the site for several days and sifting through the wreckage until there was no doubt that there were no hot spots that could spring into flame again."

Delivery crews working for the company resumed using the site on Friday, although its warehousing operation has been moved to premises in Chepstow for the time being.

All ArrowXL warehousing staff will be transported by the company to and from Chepstow, whilst its delivery operation will still be based at Worcester.

Around 150 to 200 staff are based at ArrowXL’s Worcester hub at any one time, which handles deliveries for Midlands and South West.

ArrowXL, which has operated out of Worcester for more than 20 years, is committed to staying in the area and plans to explore options to rebuild its Worcester site over the next two years.