Thursday, 14 July 2016

D-Day for smouldering blaze at former Hunters waste tip in Lockwood

D-Day for smouldering blaze at former Hunters waste tip in Lockwood
Firefighters keep a watch on fire still smouldering at former Hunter Skip Hire, Queens Mill Lane, Huddersfield.

D-Day for smouldering blaze at former Hunters waste tip in Lockwood

Fire crews standing by as digging equipment brought in

Fire crews hope the blaze which has been smouldering at a waste site in Huddersfield for several days could be extinguished today.

The new owner of the former Hunter Group skip hire site off Queens Mill Road in Lockwood is bringing in an excavator this morning to try to shift some of the waste to allow firefighters to reach the seat of the fire.

If all goes well, fire crews hope the heart of the blaze will be reached quickly, and the fire could be extinguished by lunchtime.

But it may take longer, depending on where the fire is.

And there is a danger, as more oxygen reaches the fire, of flames shooting into the air.

Firefighters visited the site every two hours on Wednesday night to keep an eye on the situation.

The fire was first noticed when council environmental health officers saw wisps of smoke coming from the top of a huge pile of shredded waste containing plastic, wood and paper.

But it is possible it has been smouldering for many days

It is believed to have started as a result of a build up of heat within the composted waste.

Two jets of water were directed onto the smouldering pile but fire crews are reluctant to use too much water as the run off could pollute a nearby river.