The fire broke out at the company’s depot on Mannings Heath Road at around 12.33pm, sending large plumes of smoke across the surrounding industrial estate.
According to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, crews from Poole, Westbourne, Redhill Park, Springbourne, Ferndown, Wimborne and Christchurch attended the incident alongside an aerial ladder platform, command unit, support vehicles and a water carrier from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service.
Firefighters used multiple jets to prevent the blaze from spreading through the recycling facility.
In an update issued at 3pm yesterday, the fire service said two breathing apparatus wearers were using four main lines and the aerial ladder platform to extinguish the fire. No casualties were reported.
By 5pm, the incident had been scaled back to four appliances and Mannings Heath Road had reopened.
Suez said the fire involved non-hazardous waste stored at the facility, with fire crews remaining on site into the evening alongside staff to prevent reignition.
The suspected cause is believed to be a damaged lithium-ion battery.
A spokesperson for SUEZ said: “We are sorry for the disruption to people in the local area yesterday afternoon and would like to thank the fire crews for their swift response and Dorset Police for their support managing traffic during the incident.
“Our team have put alternative arrangements in place so that collection services for our customers are unaffected and can continue as usual whilst we clean up the site and repair damage from the fire.
“With the suspected cause of this fire a lithium-ion battery, it underscores the urgent need for measures to combat the fire risk posed by these batteries when incorrectly discarded in general waste or mixed recycling.”
Images shared online showed thick smoke rising above the industrial estate as emergency services remained at the scene throughout the afternoon.
Fires in the waste and recycling sector
Waste fires continue to place pressure on fire and rescue services across the UK, with incidents at recycling and waste management facilities frequently requiring prolonged responses due to the volume and composition of materials involved.
The latest incident comes amid a series of significant waste fires across the UK in recent weeks.
In Scotland, firefighters have spent almost a week tackling a major landfill blaze at the Ladybank waste facility in Fife after a fire broke out on 12 May.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the incident involved recycled material and waste spread across an area measuring around 200m by 300m, with more than 60 firefighters deployed at the height of operations.
Meanwhile in Port Talbot, South Wales, crews spent several days extinguishing a fire involving approximately 200 tonnes of commercial waste at a recycling site on Dock Road.
The incident, which began on 29 April, prompted warnings for residents to keep windows and doors closed due to heavy smoke in the area.
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