Updated: Thursday 4 June 2026
This page provides information and updates on the fire at the Daler-Rowney site on Monday 25 May 2026.
Photo by Paul King.
Background
A large fire broke out on the Daler-Rowney site in Peacock Lane, Bracknell, on Monday 25 May.
As a precaution, around 60 properties in the Jennett’s Park area were evacuated by the emergency services while the fire was contained and extinguished. Residents have since been able to return home.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service led the response to the fire and Bracknell Forest Council has since taken over as the lead organisation for recovery. This is usual for emergencies of this nature.
The cause of the fire currently remains unknown.
You can find more information about the recovery from the fire below.
Alternatively, you can sign up for direct updates when they are produced.
Sign up for email updates about the fire
If you would like a paper copy sent directly to your home, please contact customer services by:
- email: customer.services@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
- phone: 01344 352000
Following a public meeting on Wednesday 3 June, we are working with partner agencies through more detailed questions from residents.
We will add responses to this page as soon as possible.
Fire cause and containment
The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time. A fire investigation is ongoing.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service had been carrying out regular ongoing inspections of the site to damp down any remaining hotspots. They left the site and stopped hotspot inspections on Wednesday 3 June.
Clean-up advice and guidance
Initial advice stated that, based on scientific guidance, residents could clean up soot from their homes, gardens and vehicles. It also stated that debris should not be removed.
As the situation evolved and more information came to light about the possible make-up of the Daler-Rowney building, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated there may be a low public health risk associated with the debris.
Therefore, residents in the immediate area of the Daler-Rowney building were advised on Thursday 28 May to leave all remaining debris and ash untouched until it had been assessed.
Council staff visited around 100 properties on Friday 29 May, to identify where specialist cleaning was needed. The visits and inspections showed the impact was limited to properties very close to the source of the fire.
The children’s play area in Browning Copse was closed as a precaution and cleaned by the contractor. It has now reopened.
Daler-Rowney is cleaning pools of run off liquid from the fire, under the direction of the Environment Agency. As a result, the path behind Butler Drive is currently shut and will reopen once the work has been completed.
If you live close to the area and still have debris in your garden, home or vehicle and have not been visited, you should have received a letter with contact details on how to arrange an assessment. As the contractors have now left site, you can contact our customer services team to let us know about any debris that has not already been removed. You can contact customer services by:
- email: customer.services@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
- phone: 01344 352000
Health concerns
The UKHSA has stated the risk from the debris to public health remains low.
There is unlikely to be any significant exposure to asbestos following fires involving materials containing cement asbestos.
There is no direct evidence of long-term health risks from fires involving cement asbestos, but it is sensible that any cement asbestos debris is removed to minimise any potential exposure.
If residents do find ash or debris from the fire on their property, they are advised to leave it alone and contact customer services by:
- email: customer.services@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
- phone: 01344 352000
If you have breathed in dust, it is likely to be in a relatively small amount. This single short-term exposure should not significantly affect your health. Asbestos is present in small quantities in both urban and rural air in the UK and so we are all breathing in small amounts of asbestos fibres over our lifetimes. The amount you may have breathed in from this one fire is likely to be insignificant in comparison with our overall background exposure during the course of our lives.
If you have any health concerns, including mental health, then you are advised to contact your GP or call 111 for advice. More information about asbestos can be found on GOV.UK.
Change in advice
As is usual with evolving emergency situations, advice often changes. As soon as we received revised information on 28 May, we made the public aware and took steps to visit properties that could be affected by ash and debris the following day.
We have always advised that debris should not be removed by the public and should be reported to us. It was the extra information about there being a possible cement asbestos roof that led to the UKHSA to state there was a low-level health risk attached to the debris. This prompted the need for home visits and wider specialist clean-up.
Environmental impact
Following the fire, Daler-Rowney was aware of fire water runoff from the site. They immediately notified the Environment Agency (EA) and have been working under their guidance and supervision ever since. Remediation work is under way and making good progress with barriers and bunds in place. Additional meetings are taking place with Thames Water on-site to make sure all potential environmental impacts are being addressed comprehensively. On site pumping has been continuing with some necessary overnight working taking place.
The EA working with Daler-Rowney is making sure all remaining contaminated firewater is fully contained and safely removed from the site. They continue to work with Daler-Rowney so further remedial work can be carried out.
Environmental monitoring has confirmed that contaminated firewater entered the surface water system and there is some evidence of environmental impact. This is being closely monitored by the EA. The specific make-up of the firewater is unknown - the results of water samples are expected over the next week. In the meantime, it is recommended that the public and their pets avoid contact with contaminated water.
The Environment Agency will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with partners to make sure Daler-Rowney undertakes appropriate remediation. If anyone has concerns or witnesses any dead or struggling fish, please report it on the free hotline 0800 807060.
Daler Rowney
Daler-Rowney is working with recovery partners and following guidance and instructions.
There is a direct contact for residents and the community who have questions and concerns: cedric.grossmann@daler-rowney.com.
Compensation
The council is processing a number of temporary accommodation claims following the evacuation on 25 May. These are being dealt with as quickly as possible. Any outstanding accommodation claims should be sent to customer.services@bracknell-forest.gov.uk with a copy of the invoice.
For damage caused by Thames Valley Police as part of the evacuation, residents wishing to submit a claim should email legal.enquiries@thamesvalley.police.uk. Each case will be assessed individually. Please quote the reference number: INC-20260525-1338.
Residents seeking any other compensation should contact Daler-Rowney directly with supporting documentation: cedric.grossmann@daler-rowney.com. The company is already liaising with its insurance company on all queries regarding potential claims received.
Previous public statements
Our previous public statements include:
Photo by Paul King.