FIRE chiefs have praised the owners of a metal recycling centre on Blackpole Trading Estate which was ravaged by a blaze.
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) were called to a fire at a metal recycling centre last Tuesday (June 16).
Six fire appliances from Worcester, Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Upton were deployed to the incident, supported by a specialist foam unit, water carrier, environmental protection unit, aerial appliance and a hazardous materials officer.
On arrival, firefighters were faced with a substantial fire involving approximately 60 scrap vehicles and large on site plant machinery which were contained within a small yard and surrounded on all sides by buildings and the main Worcester train line.
Fire crews immediately stopped the trains and acted quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings however their task was made more difficult due to limited access to the site and the risk of cylinders involved in the fire exploding.
In spite of this crews managed to stop the fire spreading and utilised a firefighting foam attack to bring the fire under control. Thankfully no one was injured by the fire.
As crews tackled the blaze, police evacuated nearby premises while the Environment Agency prevented foam and excess water from leaking into the Barbourne Brook.
Group Commander George Marshall from HWFRS praised the owner of the site and said the yard was very well organised, with good fire separation.
“This greatly assisted firefighting operations and helped to avoid significant damage to surrounding businesses,” he said.
“In addition on site CCTV cameras were able to capture the outbreak of the fire which clearly showed it to have started accidentally.
“The crews who attended did a fantastic job in containing a severe fire under very difficult circumstances.
“Thanks to their prompt and professional actions we were able to prevent this incident from escalating further and keep local business trading,” he added.
If anyone would like any Business Fire Safety advice they can find information on HWFRS’s website at www.hwfire.org.uk or by calling 0800 0321155.
