Express & Star

Fire leaves 200-tonne mound of waste burning through the night

A huge blaze which saw a 200-tonne mound of waste set alight at a Black Country recycling site is believed to have has been started accidentally.

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The site a few days later still bears the marks of the fire on Monday night

Fire crews from six stations spent more than 12 hours at the scene dealing with the slow-burning blaze on Trinity Street in Langley on Monday, January 3 at around 9.30pm.

The crews from Haden Cross, Handsworth, Oldbury, Smethwick, Tipton and West Bromwich used hose reel jets to tackle the blaze, with six fire engines, a brigade response vehicle and 35 firefighters at the scene.

The fire was situated inside an open-fronted, steel-framed unit and on-site staff used machinery to help break up the mound and move it.

The majority of the fire had been moved to an open yard by 2.45am and at around 6.20am, there were just one fire engine on site with five firefighters as the area was dampened down.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "At 9.35pm on Mon 3 January we were alerted to a fire at a waste management company’s premises in Trinity Street, Langley.

"Our first crew arrived within three minutes. Six fire engines, a Brigade Response Vehicle and around 35 firefighters in total have been at the scene throughout the night.

"Personnel involved were from fire stations including Oldbury, Haden Cross, Handsworth, Smethwick, Tipton and West Bromwich.

"This was a slow-burning fire in what’s estimated to have been a 200-tonne mound of waste, within an open-fronted, steel-framed unit measuring approximately 100m x 40 metres.

"Our crews used main jets and hose reel jets to damp down the material, as on-site staff used machinery to help break up and move it.

"By 2.45am, around three quarters had been moved into an open yard where damping down continued.

"By 6.20am on Tuesday, January 4, our resources at the scene had been scaled down to one fire engine and five firefighters, who are expected to be there until around 12noon."

Investigators at the site have found that the fire was started accidentally.

Biffa, the owners of the site, have been contacted for a statement about the fire.

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