FIRE CREWS TACKLE SWINTON RECYCLING CENTRE FIRE

Salford News

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue service were called to the scene of the fire on Wardley industrial Estate close to Swinton just before midnight on Saturday the 6th of May, after the alarm was raised by locals who had discovered the blaze.

UPDATE - 23:40 pm

A joint investigation to establish whether the fire was caused by arson is on-going.

UPDATE - 19:40 pm

UPDATE - 10:00 am

Manchester Road between Swinton and Walkden remains closed this morning due to a pylon cable which was brought down as a result of the fire and is blocking the A6, it is thought that the road will be opened again at some point in the afternoon. If you are in planning to use that stretch of the road then please use an alternative route.

UPDATE - 3:38am

20 people have been evacuated from their homes following damage caused by the downed power cable.

Residents have been given temporary accommodation by the local Emergency Planning Officer.

The cable has also affected the train line between Manchester and Wigan which will be closed off until further notice.

Power lines have fallen between Moor Side and Walkden stations.

The fire is believed to be involving a large quantity of recycled computer parts in an industrial sized container.

A downed power line has also caused problems at the scene and is being made safe by the National Grid.

Holloway Drive is closed off until further notice while the incident is brought undercontrol.

Group Manager Paul Starling who is at the incident said:

Quote

“We currently have four jets and two hand held hoses in operation to tackle the fire. The large smoke plume the recycled material produces is causing some local residents concern, but we would like to reassure you that we are dealing with the incident well. You can avoid any smoke by simply closing windows and doors and avoiding the area until further notice”.

At its peak there were eight fire engines at the scene, but this has since been scaled down to six due to the fire crew’s speedy response.

An investigation into the cause will take place once we have made the area safe.

Thick black smoke was reported to have blown across the carriageways of the M60 around junctions 14 to 15 as well as also across the M61.

The NPAS helicopter was scrambled with its heat sensing cameras to help pinpoint the heart of the inferno to help those on the ground bring the blaze under control.

It as yet remains unclear as to how the fire started but this is not the first time Salford has witnessed a recycling centre on fire as in March 2015 a blaze ripped through buildings at a neighbouring centre, just up the road in Clifton.

A year earlier in March 2014 a similar fire caused by Arson tore through a site at Duncan Street - Ordsall, which led to operators Recovered Fuels Shipping Ltds loosing its licence later that year in July.

Both previous blazes took days to get under control, smoke and fumes Like lingered in the air around the sites for sometime and in the case of the latter several roads, including Oldfield Road and Liverpool Street, were shut.