Fire crews tackle severe solvents factory fire

It was reported that around 80 firefighters were required to keep a fire under control at Solvents for Safety in Harworth, near the Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire border last week.

Fire crews arrived at about 18:45 on Wednesday evening to tackle the blaze and worked through the night at the solvents factory on the Plumtree Industrial Estate. Eyewitnesses described scenes of exploding containers and thick smoke.

There were no reported injuries although a number of residents who lived close to the building had to be evacuated because of the hazardous nature of the materials, while others were told to keep their windows closed until the smoke had cleared.

Craig Holmes, the station manager, described the delicate situation when he said:

“After consulting with hazardous materials officers we decided the best course of action would be to adopt a defensive role.

“That is not applying water on to the fire for the simple reason of the environmental impact from the water run-off would have been more damaging than the fire itself.”

The impact on the environment is currently under evaluation, while investigators are hoping to find the cause of the fire, once the structure of the building has been deemed safe enough to do so.