Recycling waste fire 'looked like a tornado'

3 hours ago

Shivani Chaudhariand

Kate Bradbrook,In Corby

News image — About 50 firefighters arrived at the scene of a fire in Corby

John Hannah A large fire at an industrial estate, there are flames and a large thick plume of black smoke coming out of the building. There are cars parked nearby. It is an overheard view of the site. — About 50 firefighters arrived at the scene of a fire in Corby

About 50 firefighters have been tackling a blaze on an industrial estate affecting about 500 tonnes of recycling waste.

Northamptonshire Fire Service was called to Earlstrees Industrial Estate in Corby shortly before 14:00 BST on Monday.

The fire spread to shipping containers at a neighbouring business, and four crews worked overnight and into Tuesday to extinguish and contain the blaze, the fire service said.

Chris Brooke, 24, from Stanion, could see the fire from Northampton and said: "It looked like a tornado coming from Northampton; as I was getting closer, it was just getting bigger and bigger."

People living nearby have been asked to keep windows and doors shut.

At the peak of the fire, 10 crews and two aerial appliances were at the scene.

Four fire crews and one aerial appliance were at the site on Tuesday morning.

Jim Darrah A fire engine parked on the road and there is a large plume or grey/black smoke behind it — Northamptonshire Fire Service and Northamptonshire Police were both at the scene of the blaze

Lee Duffy, Reform UK councillor for the Lloyds and Corby Village ward, said he could see the smoke from his garden.

In a Facebook post, he said: "I've just been up there and am reliably informed by 'Fire Wardens' and 'First Aiders' that they believe nobody has been injured.

"Let's hope our emergency service personnel stay safe as they battle with what looks to the untrained eye to be a serious fire."

Gretton Brook Road remains closed, the fire service said.

A man with a beard smiling at the camera. He is wearing a blue shirt and standing in front of a building with yellow lines to outline the windows — Chris Brooke said he saw smoke from the fire when he was leaving work in Northampton

Geoff Rhodes, 81, could see the fire from his home in Market Harborough, which is a town in Leicestershire about 14 miles (22.5km) away.

"It's a big old fire," he told the BBC.

"It looked like it was only a mile away from where we were.

"The smoke is horrendous; it blocked the sun out at one point."

BlueHummingbird2638 A black plume of smoke rising into the air. There is a large industrial unit in the foreground.

Meanwhile, crews were also called to Kingsthorpe Golf Club in Northampton, after a blaze at the clubhouse.

Residents were asked to avoid the area.

A elderly man wearing a dark blue polo shirt and looking at the camera. He is standing in front of a green bush — Geoff Rhodes, 81, said he could see the blaze from a different county

Shannen Godwin A large plume of thick black smoke rises into the air. There are homes around it and an industrial unit with 'Weetabix' on the side. — Crews were called to a fire in Corby in Northamptonshire

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