Fire breaks out at South Gloucestershire recycling centre
A large fire broke out at Yates recycling centre in South Gloucestershire in the early hours of the morning on 22nd September.
Three crews were called to the SITA UK’s Sort It centre, on Dean Road, just before 6am.
Firefighters arrive at the scene to find around 120 tonnes of rubbish on fire. They used two jets and breathing apparatus to tackle the fire. Crews remained at the scene for several hours.
A spokesperson for the site said: “No major damage inflicted but we needed to assess everything thoroughly over the weekend. We placed a member of staff at the gates over the weekend to redirect residents to one of the three other Sort It centres. We would like to thank residents who turned up with their household waste over the weekend for their patience and understanding.”
He later added: “The cause of the fire is not known but it appears that something in the black bag waste deposited was too hot and caused the fire. We have checked our infrastructure and utility services and no fault was found with those so that seems the likely reason.”
Fire at Redcar steel plant
Around 50 firefighters attended a fire at a steel-making factory in Teeside after an explosion at the works.
Around 11 fire crews were called to SSI, in Redcar at around 5am when a fire broke out at the plant and spent over an hour extinguishing the blaze.
Bosses at SSI, reported that there was “minor explosion” but that there were no casualties.
A spokesperson for the plant said: “It happened about 5am and fire crews left about 6am. Operations did not cease but more importantly nobody was injured.”
The fire is the latest in a long line of setbacks at the company.
Phil Dryden, chief executive of SSI UK, said: “Although this has been a very tough year for steel businesses across the globe, the plant has operated extremely well since the restart and this is another important milestone reached. It is a demonstration of the commitment shown by SSI UK employees and is testament to the support received from all the stakeholders involved in the rebirth of iron and steelmaking on Teesside.”
Blaze at Ironworks site set to burn for several days
A huge fire broke out at around 10.30pm on Saturday 15th September at an Ironworks company in Stanton near Ilkeston.
60 firefighters battled the blaze at the property which contained over 7000 tonnes of wood.
The fire service said that a “large plume of smoke” spread across the region but it is not believed that the smoke was toxic. However they did advice people with breathing difficulties to keep windows shut and to remain indoors if possible.
A local homeowner affected by the incident said: “I’ll be claiming off someone for this because it stinks. The wind’s changed so it’s now coming right over us. If it’s set to go on for a few days it will stink the whole house out, even with our windows and doors shut. If it goes into the house and takes the carpets and curtains, it’s not going to be nice. We’ve got no alternative but to put up with it.”
Steve Carnell, who was visiting a relative nearby at the time of the fire said: “We’ve got the doors and windows shut. We’re waiting for my dad to come out of hospital – I don’t know what he’ll make of this. Luckily, it’s only wood that is burning so it’s not toxic. The smoke has only been blowing over us this morning. A slight gust of wind can change it simultaneously.”
Station manager Gary Platts said: “The wood is mainly recycled and therefore less compact and harder to put out. Firefighters are continuing to work to keep the fire under control and prevent the fire from further spread. We did receive reports of the smoke being seen from the M1 and we continue to urge drivers to be careful on nearby roads while the smoke is still coming off the fire.”
Mr Platts added: “It is a pretty big fire and has given off a lot of smoke. We have had assistance from the owners of the site and they have been using their equipment to help us, but they can only do so much because they don’t have breathing equipment and we don’t want to see them put in danger. I would also like to thank the crews from Nottinghamshire who have come to help us”
It is not yet known how the fire started. Mr Platts said: “It’s too early to say what any cause might be – there are some organic elements to the recycled wood which could have created heat or it could have been malicious. We just don’t know yet.”
Man dies in Milton Keynes garage fire
A man has died in a fire that broke out at a garage in Milton Keynes.
The fire started at Pluto Autos on Church Street, Bletchley in the early hours of Saturday 1st September.
Police have confirmed that firefighters found the man in the workshop area of the garage and carried him out of the building but sadly they were unable to resuscitate him.
Greg Smith from Buckingham Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends and the local community.
Mr Smith added: “Firefighters will be visiting the area today to provide reassurance and offer fire safety advice to local residents.”
A spokesman for the police said that the death of the man was being treated as ‘unexplained’.
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.”