Walsall ELV site hit by fire

Fire crews were first called to the scene at Tramway Close, Darlaston on Saturday (16 October) at 11.30am.

Once on-site, fire crews contained the fire within approximately 45 minutes and remained at the recycling centre to cool all remaining material.

West Midlands fire and rescue service told letsrecycle.com that the “large fire” involved approximately 150 scrap metal cars that had been processed for recycling, however Recycling Lives said the figure was closer to 75.

At the height of the fire, there were 10 fire appliances in attendance, 1 hydraulic platform, high volume pumping unit, drone and a number of specialist officers.

Crews left the site at midday yesterday (17 October), and an investigation into the cause has now been launched. Recycling Lives confirmed that no staff members at the site were harmed.

We have approx 50 firefighters and specialist resources at an incident in Tramway Close, Darlaston involving over 100 cars that were in the process of been recycled. Local residents should avoid the area and keep their windows closed due to heavy smoke logging in the area. pic.twitter.com/jakRvTFgCl

— West Midlands Fire Service (@WestMidsFire) October 16, 2021

‘Incredibly grateful’

Gerry Marshall, CEO of Recycling Lives, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the rapid response of the West Midlands Fire Service in quickly containing the fire and that no one was harmed.”

“We have as a matter of urgency begun to investigate the cause of the fire and will be liaising with the fire service on this matter.”

Fire service

A full statement from the fire service said: “On 16 October at 11.30am we received multiple calls regarding a fire at a vehicle recycling centre in Tramway Close, Darlaston.

“At its height, we had 10 fire appliances in attendance, 1 hydraulic platform, high volume pumping unit, drone and a number of specialist officers. Further relief crews attended the scene- the last to leave at midday on 17 October.

“We worked closely with the Police, Ambulance Service, Environment Agency and the site owners. Local residents were asked to keep windows close due to heavy smoke logging and to avoid the area.

“We made good progress in extinguishing the fire and protected surrounding businesses. This large fire involved approximately 150 cars. The cause is not known at this time”