Plastic Recycling Facility, Merseyside, UK

Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
43
Yesterday (20th) we had the largest fire our brigade has faced in 20 years plus. It didn't help that it happened on the hottest day of the year so far (27.8C - 82F)

ACFO Dave Mottram, Incident Commander on scene, said: "We were called to Sankey Valley Industrial Estate at around 11am on Wednesday 20th May. On arrival, it soon became clear that this would be a challenging incident. Due to the enormity of resources required - 20 fire engines, two aerial appliances and two high volume pumps - this was declared a major incident at around lunchtime. I would like to thank our neighbouring fire & rescue services for their assistance during this incident.

"Firefighters have worked tirelessly to tackle this fire in what can only be described as extremely challenging heat conditions and I would like to thank them for their efforts. I would also like to thank our Fire Control operators who were inundated with more than 80 calls from concerned members of the public. At the height of the fire, the smoke could be seen across the north west. The latest information shows us that the smoke is now going straight up and dissipating, however as the fire reduces it may drop lower, probably during the night. We would still advise those living and working nearby to keep their windows and doors closed for the time being.

"As well as affecting a large quantity of plastic containers and a brick building on site, the fire also spread to a nearby caravan park, leading to the evacuation of those living there. We worked closely with our colleagues in Merseyside Police to ensure everyone was taken to safety and we are happy to report that no one was injured. We will continue to work with partner agencies to ensure those evacuated have somewhere to stay until they are able to return home. There will be transport disruption in the area, including to the rail network so the public should be aware that there is likely to be some disruption for some time. Motorists should avoid the area if possible.

"Firefighting continues and we will continue to have a presence for the remainder of the day and into the night. An investigation is being carried out into the cause of the fire but at this point we cannot advise of the cause. Local residents may have experienced problems with their water pressure but we are working closely with partners to ensure they retain water supply, thanks to them for their patience as we deal with this fire. We will continue to work closely with multi-agency partners throughout the remainder of this incident to end it quickly and minimise disruption."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-52743284

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s6y98YYQJ0

The request for "20 pumps" is a request for 20 engine companies, we dont use the alarm system like you guys. Overall we had around 33 pierces of apparatus on the scene plus around 130 firefighters.
 
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