Recycling centre to remain closed after major blaze
BOSSES at the Nantycaws Recycling Centre outside Carmarthen say there are “no specific concerns” regarding any environmental impact following a huge blaze at the weekend.
CWM Environmental Ltd which runs the site, said it is working closely with Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Carmarthenshire Council and fire service in the aftermath of the fire on Saturday afternoon.
The recycling centre, located off the A48, will remain closed until further notice after the fire broke out in a large shed containing 400 tonnes of waste, sending plumes of black smoke into the air.
CWM Environmental Ltd managing director Sean Gallagher said: “I can confirm all necessary arrangements and measures are in place in relation to any environmental concerns.
“All surface water runoff from the fire is being captured by an existing on-site lagoon system.
“There are no specific concerns regarding any potential environmental impact, however, we will continue to monitor the situation along with partner agencies.”
The blaze broke out at around 3pm on Saturday and fire crews were at the scene throughout the afternoon and evening, all day on Sunday, and remained in attendance on Monday.
While a cause has yet to be determined, it has been confirmed that the blaze started at the Materials Recovery Facility, with one image taken from the scene showing flames and a large amount of ash inside a large shed at the site.
That shed – a steelframed building measuring around 70m x 100m – contained around 400 tonnes of mixed non-hazardous waste and recycling equipment.
Fire crews first went to the scene shortly after 3.15pm on Saturday and discovered a “well-established fire” at the recycling centre. Around 20 minutes later the fire had broken through the roof of the shed and was spreading to a nearby storage area.
This called for further crews from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service to be deployed, and led to the use of a turntable ladder.
By around 4.15pm the fire service undertook a “tactical withdrawal” due to safety concerns around the structure and content of the affected building.
At one point on Saturday there were eight major rescue appliances in attendance at the site, along with the turntable ladder, a high volume pump and support vehicle, an incident command unit, a breathing apparatus support unit, and a drone.
This fire service presence at the scene was reduced by Saturday night and local residents were asked to keep doors and windows shut due to the potential for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters continued to work closely with CWM Environmental and Carmarthenshire Council on Sunday and Monday to extinguish the fire and make the scene safe, with the fire service confirming on Monday morning that the “incident was ongoing”.
When the fire first broke out, smoke could be seen billowing into the air from miles around, stretching across the nearby dual carriageway and visible in nearby towns and villages.
One eyewitness, Sian Thomas, was travelling past the site at the time of the fire and said: “It was big. You couldn’t see any fire, but there was some black smoke and some ash when you were driving through it.”
Carmarthenshire Council has said that anyone who had appointments at Nantycaws Recycling Centre on Monday, April 26 could visit one of the other recycling centres in the area – in Llanelli, Ammanford or Whitland – at any time between 8.30am and 5.30pm, as long as they provided email confirmation of their original booking. Meanwhile, household bin collections will continue to take place as normal.
At a meeting of the executive board of Carmarthenshire Council on Monday morning, councillor Hazel Evans said an investigation into the fire would get under way as soon as practicable, and the council was intent on keeping any possible disruption to waste collection to a minimum.
Councillor Evans and the leader of the council, councillor Emlyn Dole, thanked the emergency services, CWM Environmental Ltd, Natural Resources Wales and council officers for their quick response to the incident over the weekend.
Jonathan Willington, lead specialist advisor in waste policy at NRW, said on Monday: “Officers are on site again today.
“We are continuing to work closely with the fire and rescue service and the site operator.
“Our primary aim is to support the fire and rescue service in its efforts to safely extinguish the fire and to ensure the local environment is protected through the containment of fire water being contained in an on-site lagoon.”