Two huge fires broke out in St Albans within 12 hours of each other
Around 10,000 tonnes of recycled wood caught fire at around midnight on Saturday, 10th November and just 12 hours later, wooden pallets containing thousands of plastic trays were alight at Glinwell nursery in Hatfield Road.
Several roads around the recycling centre were closed off and many residents were also without water and electricity.
A spokesman for Affinity Water said: “During peak water demand times, our customers in the area may have no water available to them; however the fire and rescue services are continuing to work with us to reduce their water needs during these peak times. We also understand that some customers are experiencing a drop in pressure and we anticipate these fluctuations in pressure to continue for the duration of the fire.”
Fire crews spent around five days tackling the blaze at the Potters Crouch recycling centre. A St Albans firefighter confirmed that there were four pumps on scene trying to extinguish the fire and they expected it to burn for up to seven days.
This is not the first fire at the recycling depot – four years ago a fire at the site burned for over three months.
Local Councillor Tony Swendell said: “The residents of Potters Crouch have had enough. I believe it should be closed down – it’s detrimental to the environment. Some of the problems that it’s caused are traffic gridlock, loss of power to the locality, as well as loss of water pressure and loss of air quality.”
Ten fire engines attended the fire at the Glinwell Nursery which started just after midday and sent clouds of thick black smoke across the area. Residents were advised to keep their windows shut due to burning plastic on site.
An investigation into the cause of both fires will be carried out.