The Doncaster fire was at Morris Metals’ site and broke out out shortly before 7pm on Friday (22 April), South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says, with crews on the scene until Saturday evening.
And, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service brought a fire involving approximately 200 tonnes of pre-shredded cars at Recycling Lives’ site in Preston on 23 April “under control” the same day.
Doncaster
Ten fire engines and around 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at Morris Metals’ site in Balby Carr Bank, Doncaster, on Friday, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says.
Local people were asked to avoid the area and keep their windows and doors closed due to a large plume of smoke.
By the next morning, the fire service reduced the number of engines in attendance to two, plus a high volume pump.
In a statement published on social media on 24 April, the fire service said: “Firefighters left the incident in Balby Carr Bank yesterday evening. Investigators have recorded the cause of the fire as accidental.”
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says it worked alongside partner agencies including Nottingham and West Yorkshire fire services and the Environment Agency in its response to the incident.
Morris Metals also suffered a fire at the same site on 28 February (see letsrecycle.com story).
A spokesperson for Morris Metals told letsrecycle.com that the company’s fire prevention plan had been implemented, with measures working “as expected”.
They added that no damage was caused and that the fire was “completely contained”, with a controlled burnout approach adopted.
Founded in 1976, Morris Metals operates three sites across the UK and deals with ferrous and non-ferrous material including steel cans, incinerator scrap and mixed cans.
Preston
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service says it was called to a fire at Recycling Lives’ site off Longridge Road, Preston, at just after midday on Saturday.
Around 70 firefighters, 10 fire engines, two aerial ladder platforms and other specialist appliances attended the site at the height of the blaze.
The fire service says it worked alongside on-site crews to extinguish the fire, which involved around 200 tonnes of pre-shredded cars and metal. It is thought that the use of cranes and grabs to move material are part of the site FPP plan.
At just after 5pm, the fire service said the fire was “under control” and the smoke plume had reduced “significantly”.
The Environment Agency also attended the site to help minimise any risk to the environment, including by managing water run-off.
An Agency spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “As this is an ongoing investigation, members of the public should continue to keep away from the site.”
Recycling Lives
Recycling Lives also suffered fires at the same site in 2015 (see letsrecycle.com story) and 2019 (see letsrecycle.com story).
We would like to express our gratitude to Lancashire Fire and Rescue for their rapid response
– Gerry Marshall, Recycling Lives
Gerry Marshall, Recycling Lives’ CEO, said: “At approximately 12.15 hours on Saturday 23 April 2022, a fire was reported at Recycling Lives’ Preston recycling centre in Longridge Road.
“Lancashire Fire and Rescue attended and dealt with the incident and there were no injuries.
“We would like to express our gratitude to Lancashire Fire and Rescue for their rapid response and the community for their patience and understanding while crews dealt with the incident.
“We are working with Lancashire Fire and Rescue to investigate the cause of the fire.”
Recycling Lives processes and recycles scrap metal, scrap cars and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), using its income to support a social enterprise offering work and training to offenders and other vulnerable individuals.
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