Update: Fire smoke non-toxic, should reduce in hours

Friday 03 August 2018

The fire at Bulwer Avenue's recycling yard is under control, but a health warning has been issued over the thick black smoke which was pouring from the site for hours this morning.

The fire took hold shortly after 09:00 with the emergency services rushing to the scene, before calling for help with more fire and rescue service personnel dispatched over the following hour.

By 11:06 the Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was under control, although the crews on the scene were continuing to pour water onto the affected areas.

By lunchtime Public Health had issued a statement, saying at 13:16: "We believe the smoke, while acrid, does not contain chemicals. Anyone near the area or affected by the plume of smoke over their properties should stay inside and close all doors and windows. We are aware that islanders will be able to smell the smoke and with the plume continuing to dissipate to the east, expect this to reduce considerably over the next few hours."

Pictured: The view from Bulwer Avenue shortly before 13:00 when the black smoke had been replaced with what appeared to be a cleaner trail of smoke as the firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control 

The fire in the recycling yard for Guernsey Metal took hold where a number of different things are stored. An Environmental Health Officer on the scene said the fire was mainly metal, with some plastic also burning.

A spokesperson for the Fire Service who was on the scene said: "The fire is controlled, but because it is a recycling centre it is quite a hazardous area, so we are being careful where we deploy our teams.

"We currently have 19 personnel on site, and things are starting to improve. The smoke is changing colour as we put more water in that turns to steam."

Later the same afternoon Pierre Laine told Express the fire was still burning and that efforts were being made to ensure it didn't reignite further. 

"We are starting to pull the fire apart now with a digger, and that should help further," he said. "As with any fire there is always a risk it could relight, we are planning on remaining here late into the evening and probably overnight. This thing for us was to make sure that we have made everything totally safe. If we arent still here in the morning, which we may well be, we will be back tomorrow to check everything out."

As well as being close to water supplies, namely the Longue Hougue reservoir, which helped the fire service out, the blaze was also very close to the fuel storage sites Guernsey depends on and other flammable storage areas.

"With all of the fuel sites around the most important thing for us was to get between those places and the fire as fast as we could, and we acheived that, so everything was made safe on that front relativity quickly. But it was a risk," Mr Laine said.

He also addressed some eye witness reports which said that explosions had been heard while the fire was at its height.

"There has been a lot of popping and banging throughout the day, and that could have been batteries, which at the moment look to be the most likely cause of the fire."

With a number of cars held at the recycling centre, the fire took hold of the metal and other combustibles. It was their batteries which may have been heard exploding. 

Pictured: The pile of scrap cars which was well alight can be seen in this picture, taken by Express reporter Stephen King who was at the scene of the fire 

When the fire was at it's fiercest, flames could be seen by those closest to the scene, while the thick black smoke could be seen for miles - from as far away as Jersey and even France. 

Pictured: The thick black smoke which alerted many thousands of people to the fire at Bulwer Avenue 

While the fire was reported to be under control after a couple of hours, the after effects of the blaze will have an impact for some time, particularly on those people living and working nearby.

Businesses including Norman Piette and GPD were reportedly evacuated but no homeowners are believed to have been asked to leave their properties.

Environmental Health instead issued advice at 11:20 telling people in the area that "anyone who is affected by the plume of smoke should stay in their property and close their doors and windows."

That was further clarified as "if smoke is above your property and you can smell it, and that causes you concern, then the advice is to stay inside and close doors and windows."

Later still, Environmental Health issued its final statement of the day:

"We believe the smoke, while acrid, does not contain chemicals. Anyone near the area or affected by the plume of smoke over their properties should stay inside and close all doors and windows. We are aware that islanders will be able to smell the smoke and with the plume continuing to dissipate to the east, expect this to reduce considerably over the next few hours."

Guernsey Water also announced it was taking the Longue Hougue reservoir out of its supply chain as a "temporary precaution."

Pictured top: Firefighters continuing to tackle the blaze outside the recycling centre on Bulwer Avenue after it had been put out. This image was taken by Express reporter Stephen King

All images provided to Express by readers gratefully received - any further pictures can be sent to editor@bailiwickexpress.com