A huge fire at a recycling center in Nechells has prompted the West Midlands Fire Service to declare a ‘major incident’ in Birmingham. Thousands of tons of cardboard and paper caught fire on Sunday evening June 12.
More than 20 pumps and 110 firefighters attended the Smurfit Kappa facility in Mount Street. Local residents were told to keep windows and doors closed as thick smoke billowed across the town.
Several residents within a few miles of the plant woke up to their cars covered in ash. The A47 Heartlands Parkway was closed in both directions and remained closed outside the city center on Monday morning.
Read more – Warning to stay indoors as huge fire breaks out at Nechells recycling plant
A statement from the fire service said: ‘At 7.40pm on Sunday June 12 we were called to an incident in Mount Street, Nechells, Birmingham. This incident involves a large amount of bales of burning paper and cardboard in a warehouse.
“At the height of the incident, we had over 30 fire apparatus present – including two aerial hydraulic platforms, several fire trucks, a high volume water pumping unit and one of our drones. Crews from West Midlands stations are working extremely hard to fight the blaze using main jets.
“We are working closely with colleagues from Police and Ambulance, the Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water and staff on site, to bring the incident to a conclusion. No casualties have been reported.”
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