POLICE say they are not treating as suspicious a fire which badly damaged a Sittingbourne paper storage warehouse last night (Stuart Somers writes).

About 80 firefighters from around the county were called to Colombier (UK) in Castle Road on the Eurolink industrial estate just before 10pm and it was still burning late this morning.

They managed to save more than half the building and paper production area at the site which converts reels into smaller reels and sheets.

The single storey building of some 80m by 60m was well alight in the paper storage area as the first crews arrived.

Among the first was sub-officer Ian Lambkin, from Sittingbourne fire station, who said: "The entire rear 60m long storage shed was ablaze from end to end when we arrived and the wind was blowing strongly through the building."

Fire crews battled to enter the building and managed to stop it entering the production area and another paper store.

Leading the operation, divisional officer Graham Gash said: "The first crews to arrive were confronted with a severe fire and managed to separate the unaffected part of the building and to prevent it spreading to the offices and production machinery. The crews worked extremely hard and have saved about 50 per cent of the building."

The firm's sales and marketing director St.John Harvey said: "The firefighters did a fantastic job stopping the blaze spreading to the main factory and office areas. They were on scene in a matter of minutes and we can't praise them enough."

"They have told me that the fire started within the warehouse area and then spread through the reels. Our doors and fire exits are all key-coded for security so we just do not know how it all started.

"Neighbouring firms Fastforward and Denmaur Papers have offered us use of their offices until we can open up again after all the investigations have taken place."

The company has 80 employees and the aluminium-clad steel building was only built seven years ago when the premises were doubled in size.

Ash and burnt paper fell as far away as Faversham town centre and was also still falling like snow flurries this morning.

Pupils at nearby Murston Junior School had to stay indoors because staff felt it safer due to the ash.