Chinese lantern 'sparks recycling blaze' in the UK

Chinese lanterns caused a huge blaze which continues to burn at a plastics recycling plant in Britain, senior fire officers have said.

Chinese lantern 'sparks recycling blaze' in the UK

Chinese lanterns caused a huge blaze which continues to burn at a plastics recycling plant in Britain, senior fire officers have said.

About 100,000 tonnes of material are involved in the fire at the Jayplas recycling facility in Smethwick, near Birmingham, in what is one of the largest blazes in the region in recent years.

West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service area commander Steve Vincent said: “A Chinese lantern was spotted on CCTV floating across and into the site and starting a fire in plastic bales.”

The fire service said it had more than 35 appliances and at one point up to 200 firefighters at the scene in Dartmouth Road after the blaze was first reported at about 11pm last night.

Ten firefighters have been injured while tackling the flames, with two taken to hospital – one with an eye injury and a second with an ankle injury.

Eight others were treated at the scene for minor heat-related injuries, a spokesman for the service said.

Nearby residents have been advised to keep their windows and doors closed as a precaution.

A West Midlands Fire Service spokesman said: “Around 100,000 tonnes of plastic recycling material is involved in the blaze.

“We’ve had a couple of similar fires in the last few months in the region but there isn’t a trend.

“The blaze is certainly one of the largest we’ve tackled but not the largest ever.

“We’re making good progress at the moment at the scene.

“There is no danger to the public but we have advised residents to keep their windows and doors shut as a precautionary measure.”

There had been fears that flights at Birmingham International Airport could have been affected by the huge 6,000ft (1,830m) column of smoke thrown up from the intense blaze.

However, an airport spokesman said “operations were continuing as normal” and no flights had been affected.

Meanwhile, West Midlands Ambulance Service said a total of 11 firefighters had now been treated for a variety of injuries with three taken to hospital, although none are seriously hurt.

An ambulance service spokesman said the smoke plume from the blaze was so high it could be seen in Warwickshire, 30 miles away.

No-one from Jayplas – J&A Young (Leicester) Ltd – was immediately available for comment.

more courts articles

Newcastle United co-owner faces paying £3.4m to Greek businessman Newcastle United co-owner faces paying £3.4m to Greek businessman
Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van

More in this section

Paramedics among the 16 killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon Paramedics among the 16 killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon
US military drains giant wartime fuel tanks which had poisoned water supply US military drains giant wartime fuel tanks which had poisoned water supply
Samuel Bankman-Fried FTX founder Bankman-Fried facing decades in prison for crypto fraud
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited