A large fire broke out at a recycling center and waste depot in Kingsway, Luton, on the morning of 29 October 2022, leading to the evacuation of around eight homes and a block of flats.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) called in nine fire appliances and adjoining crews to tackle the fire at the recycling center. Around 60 residents had to leave their homes, while other residents were asked to keep their windows closed due to smoke.
Important council service
Councillor Tom Shaw, who is the portfolio holder for recycling and waste at Luton Council, said: “Firstly, I want to stress how relieved we are that no one was hurt as a result of the fire at Kingsway depot. I would like to thank the emergency services who were on site promptly and worked hard all day to bring the fire under control and minimize the disruption to local residents.”
He adds, "I also want to express my gratitude to our staff who worked tirelessly over the weekend to not only try and minimize the disruption to such an important council service, but also for their work setting up an emergency assistance center for those residents evacuated from their homes.”
Small electrical appliance
Up to 30 firefighters and six fire appliances were in attendance to tackle the blaze
While BFRS is yet to investigate the cause of the blaze at Kingsway, fires at recycling centers are sadly not infrequent – another fire erupted on the same day at a recycling plant in Caerphilly, Wales.
Up to 30 firefighters and six fire appliances were in attendance to tackle the blaze, which resulted in the site beginning closed for the remainder of the day.
Just a few weeks earlier, on 18 October, a fire broke out in a waste container at a Somerset recycling center in Backwell. An investigation launched by Avon Fire and Rescue Service found that the blaze had been caused by batteries that had been left in a ‘small electrical appliance when it was thrown away.’
Specialist recycling services
A spokesperson for North Somerset Council said: “Thankfully, no one was hurt but officers had to attend for two hours, and it caused the facility to close for most of the day. Battery fires can endanger the public and emergency crews by causing fires in recycling centers and on streets. When disposing of electrical items in kerbside recycling boxes, remove batteries first and place them into an untied clear plastic bag inside your box. Never put them in your waste bin.”
The dangers of fires caused by discarded batteries have also been widely publicized by campaigns such as ‘Take Charge’, launched by the Environment Service Association (ESA). The latest ESA campaign urges consumers to recycle their batteries safely by only using specialist recycling services.