Blaze at Derbyshire recycling centre
A fire broke out at a recycling plant in Stanton-by-Dale on 15th September and burned for several days.
Contractors at the site worked alongside firefighters, using diggers to move unaffected wood and reducing the amount of recycled material nearby.
Bryan Bennett, area manager, said: “Firefighters are continuing to make progress with the fire under extremely arduous conditions. We are constantly making tactical assessments of the fire and are working with all the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the local community and the environment.”
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service advised local residents to keep their windows and doors shut wherever possible due to the amount of smoke coming from the site.
Fire teams worked closely with the Environment Agency to prevent water used to extinguish the blaze affecting local water supplies. Lee Whitehouse, major incident duty officer for the Environment Agency, said: “We have been at the Erewash Canal following reports that run off from the firewater had got into the canal and that a small number of dead fish and fish in distress had been seen. We have been using oxyjets to increase oxygen levels in the canal. We currently have six oxyjets operating along a 2.5km stretch of the canal, which will continue until oxygen levels have improved. We have also reduced the amount of water running into the canal by diverting it to a Severn Trent Water sewer.”