South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) is entering its second month fighting an illegal waste site fire in Kiveton Park Industrial Estate, Rotherham. SYFR is being assisted by the Environment Agency, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, UK Health Security Agency and the local police.
The fire started on 21 September and the Agency brought in excavation equipment on 7 October to remove waste and aid the operation. The blaze was described as a ‘deep-seated, mixed waste fire’ with ‘multiple fires within the waste’.
SYFR says the work ‘is challenging due to the nature of the waste and the condition of the building the material is in’. The illegal waste site mostly contains baled waste and an investigation is underway to identify who is responsible for dumping it.
The Agency has also installed an external air quality monitoring unit close to the incident and is testing nearby watercourses daily. Local residents have been advised to keep windows closed, avoid areas affected by smoke and ash, and turn off air conditioning.
Commenting on a fire at an illegal waste site in 2019, the Agency said: “The Environment Agency will do everything in its power to prevent waste crime and punish those who profit from it."
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