30 firefighters still at plant where thousands of tons of waste went up in flames
Fire crews remain at a Birmingham paper recycling plant where thousands of tons of waste went up in flames that could be seen for miles.
At its height, around 110 firefighters tackled the blaze at Smurfit Kappa storage yard, off Mount Street, Nechells, which broke out at about 7.40pm on Sunday.
More than 30 appliances were sent to the scene to tackle the blaze, which was declared a "major incident" by West Midlands Fire Service.
A total of 30 firefighters, five fire engines, an aerial platform and a high volume water pumping unit remained at the scene on Tuesday morning.
A statement from the fire service said: "Our work at the scene has continued overnight. We still have 30 firefighters there, plus five fire engines, an aerial platform and our high volume water pumping unit.
"On-site staff continue to support our operations, using forklifts and diggers to help move and break up bales.
"Our many operational considerations have included monitoring wind speed and direction, and doing everything possible to avoid water from the scene entering a nearby river."
In a statement, the company said: "At approximately 7.40pm (on Monday) evening a fire broke out in an adjacent premises to the Smurfit Kappa SSK Paper Mill in Birmingham.
"High winds carried the fire which reached the mill’s recovered fibre yard. Smurfit Kappa would like to thank both West Midlands Fire Service staff and the SSK team for their swift and professional response in controlling the fire within a few hours and ensuring the safety of all.
"The paper mill itself is unaffected and we do not expect any material impact on production."
