40 firefighters battle illegal tyre yard fire
40 firefighters and 6 engines were called to a fire on Rectory Farm, near the Jolly Waggoners roundabout, at around 4pm on 21st August.
It took almost 3 hours to bring the fire under control but 20 firefighters remained at the site for several hours trying to douse the smouldering tyres.
The blaze created a giant plume of smoke, which could be seen across London.
Hounslow Council had recently agreed to take enforcement action against the managers of the car wash and tyre yard because permission had not been granted for use of the land for either a car wash or the storage of tyres.
Site operators were given three months to clear the site or face possible legal action.
Eyewitness, Allan Huse said: “The heat was incredible and you could really smell the burning rubber, which was still in the air the following morning. I knew about the car wash but I wasn’t aware of the tyres being stored at the site until now because they were hidden behind the trees.”
The fire is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault and is not being treated as suspicious.
Four people injured in a fire at Great Yorkshire Show
Four people were taken to hospital after an explosion at a horse show in North Yorkshire.
A propane cylinder exploded causing a burger van to catch fire at the Great Yorkshire Show at around 11.30am on 27th August.
When crews arrived, they extinguished the van fire and also cooled two more 19kg propane cylinders which were close to the fire.
A spokeswoman for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service said that four people were treated at the scene, and another four people were taken to a hospital in Harrogate with minor injuries.
One eyewitness said: “People were saying something had exploded and a fire ball came out of it. I heard a bang and when I looked across we saw the van was on fire. Apparently, a few people have been quite badly burned and were with paramedics. I think two people working in there were quite badly burned.”
Farm buildings destroyed in blaze
Around 50 firefighters and 9 engines were called to tackle a hazardous fire at a farm building in Horsmonden. The buildings were used to store explosive cylinders and timber.
The fire broke out at Nevergood Farm, in Brick Kiln Lane, at around 6.30pm and took around 3 hours to bring under control.
Two large barns and several other buildings were destroyed in the incident.
Neighbour Penny Anderson said: “I heard a massive bang at about 7.30pm.They use guns to scare the birds off and at first I thought it was that. But it was much louder. It was like a cannon going off. Then I saw the fire engines coming past.”
White Watch manager Iain Gross said: “We didn’t actually put people in as it would be classed as a highly hazardous operation. Three hours in to the incident we started to scale it back. The cylinders are explosive and shrapnel hazards. They are one of the more tricky cylinders. It was fairly obvious there were cylinders involved because of the explosions.”
An investigation will be carried out to determine the exact cause of the fire.
100 tonnes of scrap metal burns in West Midlands fire
A fire which started on 20th August could continue to burn for several days.
Firefighters from across the West Midlands attended the fire at the ENR scrapyard in Nechells, Birmingham at around 7pm on 20th August. Over 100 tonnes of scrap metal went up in flames.
Jim Sinnett from West Midlands Fire Service said: “This is going to take some days maybe to be fully extinguished. But as long as we have got water in there and it doesn’t spread and cause any further damage we will be quite satisfied with that.”
An investigation into the cause of the fire will now be carried out.
Fire destroys Doddington farm building
Around 25 firefighters attended a large fire at a farm in Doddington near Sittingbourne on 21st August.
The fire started in a shed that was used to store oil, sprayers, lubricants and other chemicals.
Farm owner Kevin Attwood said: “By the time I got there the whole building was ablaze. We’ve got some conversion work being done on outbuildings relatively close, certainly too close for comfort. Close enough to be a worry.”
Several roads were closed and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to the thick black smoke coming from the property.
Graham Cuthbert, who runs a campsite nearby said that he advised campers to leave the area. Mr Cuthbert said: “It was thick black smoke. You could hear the fire crackling and popping.”
Most of the building was destroyed in the incident.