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Despite a statement from Public Health assuring the public that the smoke emanating from the scene of a large fire on Friday did not contain chemicals, many people are still questioning how dangerous it was.
The fire was sparked in a recycling yard on the northern end of Bulwer Avenue, almost immediately next to the Longue Hougue reservoir.
Lithium batteries are now reported to be the suspected cause of the blaze, which kept Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service busy for 15 hours during a hot sunny spell at the end of last week.
Earlier it was said that either car batteries or a storage bin full of old electrical items had started the fire. The fire and rescue service has yet to oonfirm the cause of the blaze as an investigation is underway.
During the fire, the smoke from which could be seen from Jersey and the French coast, people who live and work in the vicinity of Bulwer Avenue were told to keep their windows and doors closed, while a later warning said anyone with smoke over their properties should also stay indoors with windows and doors closed.
That same statement from Public Health said the smoke - which had been black at the height of the fire - did not contain chemicals.
"We believe the smoke, whilst 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," the spokesperson said.
Following the release of that statement a number of people publicly queried it using social media.
Of the comments posted in response to an Express story, the majority challenged the official statement saying the smoke did not contain chemicals.
Mark Helyar said "all smoke contains toxins, burning oil and plastic contains heavy metals, cyanide etc where are we getting these civil servants from? Primary school?"
Richard Vaudin asked, "how is thick black smoke from the burning of oil based products non toxic?" while Andy Furniss simply said, "all smoke is toxic."
Express has asked the States Committee for Health and Social Care for further clarity on the smoke caused by the fire and what, if any, toxins it may have contained.
Express has also asked Guernsey Water for further clarity over the safety of the water contained at the Longue Hougue reservoir. As seen in the picture above, which Stuart Carre captured using his drone, the reservoir is immediately adjacent to the fire scene. It is one of the island's largest water storage sites.
While Guernsey's firemen were still trying to extinguish the blaze on Friday afternoon, Guernsey Water said it had taken Longue Hougue out of the water supply chain temporarily as a "precaution."
The utility said on Friday, "the isolation of the reservoir means there is no risk to the island’s drinking water," and that supplies are continuing to be met from the island's other reservoirs.
The reservoir was expected to return to normal service within 24 hours, once samples from Longue Hougue had been tested.
Speaking on Friday, Water quality risk manager Margaret McGuinness said appropriate precautionary measures had been taken.
“With incidents such as this obviously the first priority is to protect life and then property. From Guernsey Water’s perspective, the next priority is protection of the water supply. We work very closely with the emergency services, to provide support and advice, and we have pollution prevention plans in place which are regularly reviewed and tested.
“We can reassure islanders that there is no impact on the drinking water.”
Pictured: Martin Gray's photographe of what appears to be a lone firefighter tackling the blaze from the height of a ladder has gone viral since he posted it on social media
The fire took hold at around 09:00 on Friday 3 August with the members of Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service, who had been supported throughout the day by the Guernsey Airport Fire Service as well as Guernsey Police, St John Ambulance Service and the island's Civil Protection Volunteers, only returning to base shortly before midnight.
After dealing with the "difficult fire all day" the work wasn't over though. The firefighters who remained on shift had to start the clean up to ensure the island's fire and rescue service was prepared for its next call out, whatever that may entail.
While the warm, dry weather we've been experiencing lately may have helped the fire take hold, it also provided the on shift firefighters with the perfect way of drying their kit.
Pictured: Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service got on with their chores and did the laundry after the call out on Friday
The efforts of every fireman, the other emergency services, and the civil protection volunteers, didn't go unappreciated by the public - with Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service publicly thanking everyone for their support.
Pictured top: Stuart Carre caught the fire from above using his drone camera
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