Up to 80 firefighters were sent to Recycle Force’s waste facility in Corby over the weekend, to stem a large blaze at its recycling storage warehouse.
Ten appliances from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service were sent to the facility, on Gretton Brook Road, Corby, shortly before 01:00 on Saturday (18 July).
The fire, which broke out in a building containing one of the waste management company’s materials recovery facilities (MRFs), reportedly involved hundreds of tonnes of waste and recycling. However, the company has said that exact details are not known, as records have been destroyed in the fire.
Recycle Force Director Robert Kirk told Resource that although the fire is still alight as part of a ‘controlled burn’, the business is running as usual, with waste being tipped and sorted at an adjacent building, which has not been affected by the fire. He thanked the fire service, clients, and members of the public for their support.
As of this morning (20 July), only one fire appliance remains at the scene.
Large fire in Corby overnight, @northantsfire in attendance, fire under control, avoid area if at all possible pic.twitter.com/y6RWSMlkI3
— Warren Ellison (@WarrenEllison01) July 18, 2015
WISH guidance
Fires at waste sites are commonplace, with figures released in 2013 showing that between 2001 and 2012, the average rate of fires at waste and recycling works came in at just under one per day.
In an attempt to prevent fires from occurring, the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum has issued new guidance to help waste site operators reduce fire risk.
Endorsed by the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA), and developed with input from the Environment Agency (EA), the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Health and Safety Laboratories (HSL), and other bodies, the guidance outlines how best to safely manage the storage of materials susceptible to combustion.
The Operations Director of the CFOA, Roy Wilsher, said that the guidance was “hugely useful”.
Find out more about waste fire guidance.
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