Firefighters have put out a blaze that had been burning at an abandoned recycling centre in Berkshire for almost seven months.
When the compost fire broke out at the Good2Grow site in November 2012, fire crews had hoped that it would extinguish itself naturally after a few weeks. More than six months later, the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service was forced to put the fire out itself. That operation began on 5 June. Firefighters were forced to move the waste a tonne at a time to extinguish it, because pouring water directly on to the piles would have produced a significant amount of smoke.
The organic matter was moved, spread out, and saturated with water bit by bit over 13 working days — to reduce disruption, the fire service chose not to work on the fire during evenings and weekends. Other techniques discussed included burying the compost in soil and excavating a massive water pit to hold the compost. The Environment Agency, the fire service, the West Berkshire Council, and Grundon Waste Management (the landowner) agreed that spreading and saturating the waste would be the best way.
Nicole Targett, a spokeswoman for the fire service, said in a press release issued before the operation began:
The volume of the waste material has now reduced to the point where, with help from Grundon, it will be possible to access any remaining material that is still burning. The techniques we will be using are designed to suppress production of smoke and ash as far as possible but with an operation of this size, significant amounts will still be released. However, once the work is finished, the fire will be extinguished completely.
The BBC reported that Grundon had leased the land to a firm called Good2Grow, which had ceased trading before the fire broke out. Grundon has since been working with the Environment Agency to deal with the smouldering blaze, which the West Berkshire Council had declared a public nuisance. Firefighter Paul Maynard praised the service’s work. He told the BBC that bringing the fire to an end had been “a pretty unpleasant job” for all involved.
Could this be a record for a fire burning? Have you ever heard of a longer-lasting blaze? Do let us know in the comments below.
2023 Fire Safety eBook – Grab your free copy!
Download the Fire Safety in 2023 eBook, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry. Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
