Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service have said that crews were still at the scene this morning but that the fire was currently under control
Residents were warned to keep both their windows and doors closed in order to prevent smoke spreading into their homes after the fire had raged for several hours in Wiltshire last night at Grist Environmental Ltd Recycling Centre, near Devizes.
A huge fire has engulfed 300 tonnes of waste at a recycling centre located in Wiltshire overnight.
Fire crews were called to the Grist Environmental Ltd Recycling Centre on Monument Hill, Stert, near Devizes, at around 11.10pm on Wednesday.
This comes after nine protesters from the Insulate Britain group have been handed prison sentences at the High Court for breaching a High Court injunction to stop them protesting on the M25. Six of the protesters were jailed for four months, two for three months and one protester, Ben Taylor, was given a six month sentence.
Devizes Fire Station has posted a picture of the night sky lit up with orange flames as the blaze ripped through huge piles of waste at the site.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service have said that crews were still at the scene this morning but that the fire was currently under control.
They said: “Three fire crews were mobilised to the scene, two from Devizes and one from Calne along with the Command Support Unit from Swindon and two water carriers from Pewsey and Royal Wootton Bassett.
“On arrival, the first crews in attendance found some 200-300 tonnes of residual waste well alight and used two main jets to prevent escalation of the fire.
“On site staff assisted using loading shovel machinery to create fire breaks in the pile of waste, working with firefighters to help contain the blaze.
“As of 6am today (18 November) the incident has been scaled back to one fire engine and one water carrier and we will remain on scene for a number of days to provide a watching brief.”
This comes after the terror threat of the UK has been raised to ‘severe’ following an explosion that took place in Liverpool on Remembrance Sunday. The change means a terror attack is “highly likely” across the country moving forward.
Devizes Fire Station then later shared an update on their Facebook page, stating that a “number of resources” were still at the scene of the fire this morning.
The fire service has warned the people who live nearby that they should keep their windows closed in order to keep the smoke from the burning waste out of their homes.
The cause of the fire at the Wiltshere site is not yet known.
