Thunderstorm blamed for chemicals blaze at Cannock industrial estate near homes
Thunderstorms may be the cause of a huge blaze at a Cannock chemical waste transfer station which saw nearby homes evacuated.
Tests are being carried out at Axil Integrated Services at Cannock Industrial Centre, in Walkmill Lane, Bridgtown, Cannock, after materials in the yard erupted into flames and smoke early on Monday.
The blaze was tackled by more than 40 firefighters, and residents living in nearby properties in Haling Way said they were evacuated from their homes by the emergency services shortly after 6.30am.
Several say they were woken up by popping noises which rapidly escalated into explosions resulting in about 100 aerosol cans landing in the street behind the fenced depot. At least one vehicle was struck and some cans were blown over rooftops into back gardens.
Staffordshire Fire & Rescue station manager Dan Keeling said: "There's been a fire at a waste transfer site. At its height there were eight appliances. The incident has been scaled down as the fire is under control."
"The cause is still under investigation, but is believed to be accidental. there are a lot of chemicals on the site , some are reactive with water. It is possible that the cause may be related to the weather as we had the thunderstorm, but until we look it it further we won't know for certain.
"We need to carry out some tests."
See also:
"We are working on site with the owners and the Environmental Agency on the clean-up operation.
"Some of the residents were evacuated for a short period. We will be advising them to keep windows closed," Mr Keeling added.
WHG tenants Leah Wheeler and partner Louie Wood, of Hyth Court, were among those who living a block of low-rise flats.
Leah, 19, a carer, said: "I got up for work and opened the windows as normal. Then I heard this popping sound. I opened the door to see where it was coming from and I saw these massive flames shooting over from the depot next door. We picked up the cats and left.
"We couldn't get to work. The flames were coming through the metal fence between the flats and the depot."
Louie, 21, a butcher, said: "I started banging on the neighbours' doors to let them know there was a problem. It was quite scary to be honest.
"One of the neighbours wasn't home and the police had to knock down the door to fetch their dog out."
Several families said they left immediately in cars, grabbing their children and pets to get to safety after spotting the smoke and flames.
Louise Hughes, 40, an assistant accountant, said: "We didn't know what was happening at first. We were quite scared. We were woken up by smouldering and popping noises. We looked out of the window and at first I thought they had lit a bin fire, but all of a sudden the yard just went up in a bang.
"Aerosol cans were coming over the fence landing near the houses. Some even [came] over the top of our house and landed in the back garden. My son was really upset. We went outside and just I told the kids to run round the corner to get them to a place of safety while we got the car started. We picked them up and drove to my parents, who live in the area."
Daniel Allport, 31, added: "It went from popping noises and clinking bottles to bangs, and something sounding like bombs and grenades going off."
He added: Something needs to be done. These properties are 20 yards or closer from this depot which is handling chemicals. It's a safety risk."
A Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said: "At 6.20am today, the service received reports of a large fire in the forecourt of an industrial unit on Walkmill Lane.
"The facility contained a large number of highly flammable chemicals which had ignited as a result of the blaze.
"Crews from Rugeley, Burton, Stafford, Stone, Cannock and Hanley were sent to the scene alongside colleagues from Staffordshire Police and immediately began to evacuate residential homes on Haling Way and surrounding areas.
"Additional crews from West Midlands Fire Service also attended the incident.
"Four main jets and six breathing apparatus were used to bring the fire under control, which has been deemed accidental.
"By 8.20am, the incident was scaled down, leaving crews from Rugeley and Stafford at the scene."
Station manager Jordan Money, who attended the incident, said: “Crews have worked diligently to bring this fire under control and mitigate damage in the area.
“Although nearby residents can now return to their homes, we are still advising them to keep windows and doors shut whilst our crews remain at the scene and ensure the area is safe.”
Videos and pictures posted on social media showed huge balls of fire, and smoke rising over the area which could be seen from the nearby M6 Toll.
Staffordshire fire service earlier tweeted: "Fire crews are dealing with a large fire near to Cannock Industrial Centre Walkmill Lane. Members of the public are advised to avoid the area for their own safety."
A spokesperson for waste site operators Axil said: “As reported, there has been a fire at our Cannock Waste Transfer Station this morning. Our team are working closely with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency to closely monitor and control the situation.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation to ensure we understand the causes of this as soon as possible.
“We would like to express our thanks to all parties involved, for all of their efforts since the fire broke out early this morning and to the local residents for co-operating with the incident responders and following their guidance.”
There was also a crash between two cars on Walkmill Lane, opposite the industrial centre, on Monday morning.
It comes after crews from Staffordshire and West Midlands were earlier called out to deal with a large fire involving hay in the Stonnall area. This incident has been scaled down, however, crews were set to remain at the scene for some time.
