The fires are the latest to have hit the sector in recent weeks, following shortly after a blaze in the storage yard at Environcom’s WEEE processing site in Stourbridge which broke out on Sunday (see lets.recycle.com).
Firefighters in Cornwall have been battling a large fire at a tyre recycling yard at St Erth in the west of the county since yesterday evening. The site is run by South West Tyre & Rubber Recyclers, which carries out rubber chipping.
The incident began at 8.15pm on Monday evening and has continued into this morning. Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said two pumps from St Ives and one from Hayle were mobilised and further appliances were sent from Penzance and Tolvaddon.
Devon and Cornwall Police, Western Power, the Environment Agency and Highways England all have representatives on the scene.
The fire has caused major travel disruption across the region with trains having been stopped on the line between St Erth and St Ives which runs close to the scrap site.
@CornwallFRS continuing to tackle the fire in #StErth. Multiple agencies on site working together. #teamwork #drone pic.twitter.com/0QpM1FEXWr
— D&C Police Drones (@DC_PoliceDrones) August 9, 2016
Footage courtesy of Devon & Cornwall Police.
Residents have been advised by the Fire Service to remain indoors and to make sure all windows and doors are closed, while motorists travelling through the smoke have been told to keep their windows closed, turn off air conditioning and keep their vents closed.
The spokeswoman said: “Multiple calls were received by Fire Control stating there was a large fire with thick black smoke coming from the recycling yard next to St Erth Station.
“Crews were faced with a large recycling centre consisting of mainly tyres and other recyclable goods, measuring approximately 50 meters by 50 meters fully involved in the fire. In addition to this a large diesel and oil tank are also involved.”
This morning crews remained on the scene, and are using foam supplied from a unit in Falmouth to put out the fire, the spokeswoman said. Mechanical diggers have also been brought in to assist in the removal of flammable material from the site.
letsrecycle.com contacted South West Tyre & Rubber Recyclers for comment this morning but the company could not be reached. According to the company’s website, material recovered on the site is used to produce various grades of rubber shred and crumb.
These materials can then be incorporated into products including equestrian, sports and safety surfaces, carpet underlay and acoustic barriers, the company claims.
Biffa
In the south east of England, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service are tackling a fire that broke out a waste transfer station run by waste management firm Biffa near Southampton.
The incident occurred at 12.28pm yesterday afternoon on the Marchwood Industrial Park.
A fire service spokesman confirmed crews remained on the scene today.
He said: “We used 10 pumps as well as two platform ladders to tackle approximately 140 tonnes of household waste alight. The fire was not put out yesterday, so our crews remain on the scene. We are using three jets to tackle the 98 tonnes of household waste that remains alight.”
Lawrence Emerson, director of health, safety and quality at Biffa, said: “We have had a fire at our facility on Marchwood Industrial Estate in Southampton.
“There have been no reported injuries and the fire is being brought under control by the emergency services. We continue to provide all necessary support at the scene.”
Guidance
Recognised as a major problem in the waste sector, the incidence of fires at waste sites has recently been addressed through the release of guidance by the Environment Agency, aimed at preventing fires at waste sites.
The Fire Prevention Plan (FPP) guidance is an update on previous rules stipulating various restrictions on the storage and separation distances between piles of waste materials.
Published last month, the guidance states that waste operators must produce acceptable prevention plans in order to minimise the likelihood of fires erupting on-site or the outbreak spreading to neighbouring properties.
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