A Team That Never Stopped
HEC Logistics, based in Castleford, Yorkshire, has proudly been a member of The APC network since 1999. In July 2025, the business faced one of the toughest moments in its history when a fire caused significant damage to its offices. Thanks to the incredible efforts of its team and the support of The APC network, the company was back up and running in just a few days.
On Thursday 17th July, the day started with a call from the company’s security monitoring team after an intruder alarm had been triggered at the depot. Police were immediately sent to the premises and quickly contacted HEC Logistics to report that smoke appeared to be coming from the building. Just minutes later came the phone call that no business owner ever wants to receive – the fire brigade was on its way because the building was on fire.
Arriving at the depot was heartbreaking. Thick smoke was pouring from the building, two fire engines and three police cars were already on site, and firefighters were preparing to enter.
The crews forced their way through the front door and quickly discovered that the fire had started in the ground floor APC office. They worked quickly to bring the fire under control, flooding the office with water and breaking through doors and windows on both floors to make sure the fire couldn’t spread.
One of the biggest concerns was the warehouse, where several of the company’s vehicles were parked. When the first roller shutter was opened, clouds of thick black smoke poured out, making the wait for news feel like forever. Thankfully, the fire hadn’t spread into the warehouse. Apart from needing a thorough clean, the vehicles escaped without damage.
The offices weren’t so lucky. The entire ground floor was lost, and the smoke damage throughout the upstairs offices meant there was nothing left that could realistically be saved.
The following day was a blur. Drivers were asked to stand down while a small team stayed on site to begin clearing what they could, contact customers, and put together a plan to get the business moving again as quickly as possible. Staff found themselves working from the car park, building makeshift desks from pallets before setting up a temporary office in the warehouse. After a few phone calls, temporary desks arrived and, within hours, a new workspace had been created.
By Saturday, it was all hands on deck. Almost every driver came in to help clear the delivery backlog, despite it being the weekend. Their commitment and willingness to pull together made an enormous difference, and the business knows it wouldn’t have recovered so quickly without them. They truly are a credit to HEC Logistics.
By Monday 21st July, the operation was back on track and running remarkably smoothly. Temporary office cabins were delivered soon afterwards, and work began on stripping out the damaged offices and rebuilding the business.
Today, HEC Logistics is back in its building with a fresh outlook. The experience showed just how resilient the team is and how much can be achieved when everyone pulls together. The company is incredibly grateful for the support it received from The APC throughout the recovery and proud that, despite everything that happened, disruption for customers and consignees was kept to an absolute minimum.
Looking back, the fire could easily have defined the business. Instead, it highlighted what really makes HEC Logistics special – a dedicated team, loyal drivers, supportive partners, and a determination to keep moving forward, no matter what.
