Police used thermal imaging drone to help firefighters battling Queensferry blaze on Friday

A drone image released today captures the scale of the incident and highlights the challenges faced by firefighters as they worked to contain a large fire next to the A494 in Queensferry on Friday night.

The blaze, at Riverside Way in Queensferry, was reported to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service just before 8.30 pm and required multiple fire appliances to battle the flames.

At the height of the fire, North Wales Police sought to reassure concerned residents through social media.

“There are multiple crews on scene, but just to clarify the trucks have been moving back and forth to bring water to the scene – there aren’t 100+ engines here!” they wrote. “There is no cause for concern at this time.”

Though firefighting has now scaled down, crews remained on-site as of this morning, and an investigation into the cause is set to begin.

Police played a key role in the response, initially tasked with managing road closures and liaising with highways staff.

Their efforts extended to deploying a drone equipped with thermal imaging capabilities, a tool that provided critical support for fire commanders.

“The drone operator was able to provide thermal imaging to help Fire Commanders see the extent of the fire,” said a North Flintshire Police spokesperson.

“We also had officers managing traffic and monitoring equipment that couldn’t be left unattended.”

Thermal imaging was used to pinpoint hotspots, guiding firefighters as they transported water to the scene and tackled the fire in targeted areas.

The drone image shows a large area of flames on open ground next to Queensferry water treatment works.

Emergency services followed the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP), which enable a unified response during large-scale incidents.

Fire crews are expected to remain at the site for some time as investigations continue.

In a statement on Saturday morning, a North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We’re in attendance at an incident on a caravan park in Queensferry, Flintshire, having been called yesterday evening at 20:23 hrs. Multiple appliances were called to the scene – firefighting has since scaled down, but firefighters will remain at the incident for some time before an investigation into the cause will begin.”