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At 1317 hrs on Thursday 17th July 2008, fire crews responded to a report of a fire in the open at a commercial recycling facility on Chorley New Road in Horwich. On arrival crews found a rapidly developing fire involving approximately 3,500 tons of recycled timber, approximately thirty metres by thirty metres in size. Further assistance was requested including two aerial platforms due to the height of the pile which was up to twenty metres in parts. Because of the large amounts of water required pumps were set into a brook via Drinkwater Lane as well as using street hydrants. Firefighters concentrated their initial efforts on protecting buildings on the site and fire breaks were created by staff onsite using large hydraulic diggers. Whilst these efforts prevented the fire spreading to the buildings, more of the timber has become involved, with flames and a large plume of smoke still visible at midnight. This smoke plume is being blown over residential areas and we would advise any affected householders to keep their windows closed until the smoke clears. Motorists should also be aware that Chorley New Road is currently closed between Drinkwater Lane and Victoria Road and is likely to remain so throughout Friday morning. Local diversions are in place. It is currently too early to establish a possible cause of the fire and there have been no casualties |
