BAE has released an update after the fire at Devonshire Dock Hall in Barrow earlier this week. 

The defence company said that early investigations indicate the fire, which happened on Wednesday, has 'had a limited impact' and that work is continuing on Astute Boat Six. 

"We would again like to thank the emergency services and all our partners and agencies involved whose bravery and professionalism ensured our colleagues were quickly and safely evacuated from the area," a BAE spokesperson said. 

"We’re also grateful to the local community for their patience and co-operation throughout."

The spokesperson added that only the affected area is accessible to essential personnel only but the remainder of the site is fully operational. 

READ MORE: VIDEO: Smoke billows from Barrow's BAE building at 3am this morning

The emergency response prevented significant damage to the facility and the submarine units, it is said. A full assessment of the impact and a comprehensive plan is still in progress before the company conducts remedial action. 

The statement in full said: “Following the fire in the Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) at our Barrow in Furness site on Wednesday 30 October, a full investigation and clean-up activities are now underway. The affected area is accessible to essential personnel only but the remainder of the site is fully operational.

“We would again like to thank the emergency services and all our partners and agencies involved whose bravery and professionalism ensured our colleagues were quickly and safely evacuated from the area. We’re also grateful to the local community for their patience and co-operation throughout.

“The multi-agency response to the incident prevented significant damage to the DDH facility and the submarine units within it. We are continuing a full assessment of the impact and are developing a comprehensive plan to progress remedial action but early investigations indicate the fire has had limited impact.

“Work continues on Astute Boat 6, which is currently in the water in the Devonshire Dock, and both the Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS programmes are progressing.”