West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service issued an update on the fire at the Westhampnett site this morning, advising that the fire involving ‘several hundred tonnes of household waste’ is burning slowly, and has been ‘difficult to manage.’
The site is operated by Viridor, which has suggested that a lithium ion battery may have been the cause of the fire – although no official source has yet been attributed to the blaze (see letsrecycle.com story).
Controlled burn
The Fire Service has opted to allow the fire to burn in a controlled way and not use water, in order to prevent pollution to local water courses. Residents have been advised that nearby properties may be affected by smoke dispersing from the site.
Jon Lacey, West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service area manager for risk and improvements, said: “This fire is difficult to tackle because the material is highly flammable. With several hundred tonnes of household waste involved, the fire is burning slowly and is difficult to extinguish. At Westhampnett we have the added problem of the waste being inside a building which has suffered damage. This restricts safe access and also slows down the rate of burn.
“Additionally the site is alongside Westhampnett Lake and we are concerned that run-off of the large volume of water which would be needed to tackle the fire, does not cause serious contamination to the water courses which flow down to Pagham Harbour, a sensitive ecosystem.
“Our strategy has been to contain the fire while the wind direction has largely allowed the smoke to disperse across open land. However, mindful that we need to try and prevent smoke affecting residents and businesses, we have explored ways to tackle the blaze with minimum risk of contamination.”
Steve Read, director of energy, waste and environment at West Sussex county council, said: “There is a risk that some residents in the Chichester area could be affected by a smoky smell from this Friday afternoon into the weekend.“
Register for free to comment