Compost fire breaks out at Waterbeach plant

Firefighters are still tackling a compost fire which they were called to at AmeyCespas Waterbeach waste and recycling facility in Cambridgeshire on Sunday (March 31).

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said approximately 800 tonnes of organic content was involved in the fire in a steel-framed building on the site. The 200 metre by 50 metre building is also said to contain 500 tonnes of non-biological waste.

An investigation into the possible cause of the fire will take place once firefighters are able to enter the building, a spokeswoman for AmeyCespa said.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said two fire crews were called to the incident at 6.55am on Sunday, with two additional crews and a command unit later called to the scene at approximately 7.55am. Firefighters were wearing breathing apparatus and using water jets to tackle the blaze.

She said: The fire service quickly established this was a large-scale incident and requested support from pumps at Cambridge and Ely. Smoke was billowing across the A10 and crews requested attendance from police.

She added that a large quantity of smoke remains in the building and mechanical ventilation systems on site are unable to clear the building. As a result, site owners will be supplying special fans to create air flow to improve conditions inside. One fire crew and two fire officers remain at the site.

A spokeswoman for AmeyCespa said: We can confirm there has been a fire at our Waterbeach MBT facility. The Fire Service remain in attendance. There are no injuries but, at this stage, we are unable to comment on the extent of the damage.

Once we are able to enter the building we will begin a thorough investigation as to the cause. Our internal team is working closely with the Fire Service to understand the impact and next steps.

A statement from Cambridgeshire county council said: We were informed by AmeyCespa on Sunday that there had been an incident and they are working with the fire service who will be updating us on the situation throughout the week.

MBT equipment

The fire came only days after AmeyCespa announced that it had signed a contract with a new equipment provider to replace the technology which failed at the Waterbeach Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant in September 2012 (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, behind the scenes a legal battle is said to be underway. AmeyCespa today confirmed that legal action is ongoing against the equipment contractor, BAM Nuttall, for the machinery which failed at the MBT facility. However, the extent of the case is not clear. BAM Nuttall won a 41 million contract to deliver the plant in 2008 and was principal contractor managing the supply chain including the composting process, design and machinery from Austrian-based Kelag Umwelttechnik.

BAM Nuttall said that the Kelag component of the contract was 35% of the total value.

A spokesman for BAM Nuttall at its Camberley, Surrey head office said today (April 2) that the company had no comment to make on the legal proceedings.