Warehouse Fire Prompts U.K. Online Retailer To Stop Taking Orders

Asos Plc (ASC), the U.K.’s largest online-only fashion retailer, suspended taking orders after a fire at the warehouse in northern England that handles all its shipping. Ten engines were needed to battle the blaze at the Barnsley site, the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said in a statement on its website. An investigation into the cause of the fire, which affected several floors of the 60,000-square meter (650,000 square foot) depot, will begin today, it said. “There is substantial fire damage, and it is too unsafe for anyone to go in,” Asos said on its Facebook page. “As soon as we’re able to re-enter the warehouse, we can assess the damage.”