Lye fire: Environcom blaze was started accidentally

The fire happened at Environcom's recycling yard in Lye on Sunday.

West Midlands Fire Service investigators have said the fire was accidental and caused by the overheating of fuel at the site.

Huge plumes of black smoke from the fire which broke out at the Rufford Street site was visible for miles around, and led to a stretch of Stourbridge Road being closed for several hours and a cautionary warning to trains passing on the nearby railway track.

Pictures of the devastation caused by the blaze have been shared on Twitter by Sandwell photographer John Kennett, including charred cars at the neighbouring Stratstone Land Rover.

The flames spread from Environcom's recycling yard to the dealership, who have confirmed that they have now passed the incident on to their insurers, with no details of the exact cost of damage to their business yet.

On Monday a spokesman for Environcom said: "We would like to thank the West Midlands Fire Service for their prompt and effective response to the incident which occurred in the yard at our West Midlands site.

"Site controls ensured that all employees were evacuated quickly and safely and no damage was sustained to the operating machinery and site.

"We regret the disruption and damage this caused to third parties."

It is the third fire at the Lye recycling site in nine years, with the the last being in April 2011 when it was Overton Recycling Ltd and a 30-ton pile of plastic went up in flames.

In May 2007, staff were evacuated after a fire started in a recycling machine.

A West Midlands Fire spokesman said: "We sent 11 pumps to the scene. It involved general waste inside a recycling yard, including polystyrene packaging and refrigerator gas. The fire spread to adjoining properties which suffered light damage."