On Monday night, the 40,000 square metre warehouse of Alicante-based cooperative Surinver caught fire. It started in the change table of the cold system of part of the refrigeration and air conditioning chambers, following several power cuts. "It is a very complex installation, so even though only 6 square metres of wall have burned, the air conditioning of the 40,000 square metres of our warehouse has been affected, with the temperature going from 18 ºC to 25 ºC," says José Ignacio Garcerón, General Director of Surinver.
The warehouse's facilities have continued to operate normally, although according to its General Director, "logistically, this translates into a major setback, since the cold chain has been affected. The company has been forced to use external cold chambers, which entails high added costs, since we are in the middle of the campaign and handling about 1,200 tonnes per day."
According to José Ignacio, fortunately there have been no personal injuries. "The plant workers had already finished their workday and only the cargo workers were in the warehouse. When they noticed the fire, they closed the chamber's gates until the fire was extinguished and prevented the rest of the warehouse from being burned. There was a spectacular amount of smoke," he says.
"In any case, we are very happy with the reaction from the staff, which is redoubling its efforts to ensure everything continues to happen as it should, including orders, packing, etc. We are also thankful to neighbouring warehouses, which have been giving us a hand to allow us to keep the campaign rolling. Thank you very much to all!" concludes José Ignacio Garcerón.
Based in Pilar de Horadada, Alicante, Surinver has more than 350 associates and produces and sells fruits and vegetables such as watermelons, lemons, broccoli, peppers, courgettes, lettuce and processed products.
For more information:
Jose Ignacio Garcerón Torres
Grupo Surinver
T: +34966747326