A boat owner on the river at Ely described the moment a nearby fire “blacked us out” as smoke forced them to close all windows and openings.
Sarah Childs was at her home on the river when the fire broke out at an industrial unit.
“It was awful,” she said. “The smoke at one point blacked us out.
“I shut everything up as I have COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma.”
Crews from across Cambridgeshire and others from Suffolk have been called out.
The fire- now out - was at Standen Engineering at their Hereward Works in Station Road.
Crews from Cambridge, Cottenham, Ely, Soham, Huntingdon and Newmarket have been mobilised to support the firefighting operation.
A Cambs Fire spokesperson said: “Firefighters have worked hard to get the fire under control quickly and prevent further spread."
The spokesperson said: "At 12.28pm, crews were called to multiple reports of a fire at a building on Station Road, Ely.
"Crews from Cambridge, Cottenham, Ely, Soham, and Newmarket (Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service) attended. An aerial appliance also responded.
"Firefighters arrived to find smoke issuing from the building and a well-developed fire involving the single-storey industrial unit."
The spokesperson added: "Firefighters worked exceptionally hard to get the fire under control fast and prevent further spread.
"All crews left the scene shortly after 4pm.
"The cause of the fire was accidental"
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