In a statement issued on Sunday (10 July), Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it worked alongside Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service to extinguish the fire at “a recycling premises in Burton-upon-Trent today”.
Crews from Tutbury, Burton, Cheadle and Lichfield and specialist units from Rugeley and Cannock were called to reports of a large waste fire at a premises on Glensyl Way shortly after 11.15pm on 9 July, the fire service noted.
A high volume pump and a water carrier were used alongside four main jets, two ground appliances and a hose reel jet to extinguish the blaze successfully.
No one was injured. The fire service said it was “unable to confirm the cause of the fire due to its size and complexity”, but they could confirm it was “accidental ignition”. The fire was at a site at Glensyl Way, on the Yeoman Business Estate.
‘Tirelessly’
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue station manager Sarah Smith, who attended the incident, said: “I would like to commend the crews who have worked tirelessly through the night to bring this extensive fire under control.
“Appliances have now left the area and will continue to liaise with the owners of the premises to ensure they receive the appropriate support following the incident.”
Willshee’s said today that they were grateful for the help of service in extinguishing what was “a small fire in the waste pile”. The fire caused minimal and superficial damage, primarily to buildings, it said. The buildings are standard construction steel structures with cladding.
The company added that staff from Willshee’s assisted the fire service as requested.
Business continuity
Willshee’s is based in Burton-upon-Trent, where it has two sites, with a third in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.
Simon Lowe, commercial manager for Willshee’s, said: “Due to Willshee’s having multiple sites, our business continuity plan has been brought into force. Work will continue as normal and our local authorities customers are unaffected.”
Mr Lowe added that the company was working on the assumption that the cause of the fire will have been a lithium iron battery within the domestic residual waste at the plant. The site processes residual waste to produce refuse derived fuel (RDF).
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