Huge Plume of Smoke Seen from Transport Avenue Fire
Water drawn from River Brent to tackle blaze
Firefighters dampen the piles of waste. Picture: London Fire Brigade
September 7, 2023
Another large fire has broken out at the waste transfer facility in Brentford this Wednesday (6 September) sending out a huge plume of smoke visible across west London.
Around 20 tonnes of domestic waste at the site on Transport Avenue caught alight with the Fire Brigade receiving the first of 19 calls at 12.52pm. The operators of the site say that it was caused by a lithium-ion battery being incorrectly disposed of with non-recycleable waste.
Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters responded with crews from Heston, Ealing, Acton and surrounding fire stations attending.
One of the Brigade's 32m ladders was deployed as a water tower to fight the fire from above. Crews also used the nearby River Brent as a source of water to aid in firefighting.
The fire was under control by 5:48pm but crews remained in the scene into the evening.
Statement issued on behalf of SUEZ recycling and recovery UK says, "Fortunately, no one has been injured and there was no damage to the site.
"The fire occurred in an outdoor bay that contained non-hazardous black bag waste. We estimate that around 20 tonnes of non-recyclable material was affected by the fire. SUEZ staff remained on site throughout the day and overnight to assist the fire service. The Fire Brigade remains on site this morning as a precautionary measure.
"We would like to thank the London Fire Brigade for their quick response and work to manage the fire. Thanks to this effort, we expect to resume operations later today.
"The fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery that was incorrectly disposed of with household waste. Lithium-ion batteries pose a fire risk when damaged and should always be recycled in dedicated battery recycling bins that can be found at Household Waste Recycling Centres across West London and in many supermarkets. ”
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