People have been told to remain in their homes and close their doors and windows while firefighters continue to work at the location of a fire. recycling centre blaze.
A fire has been burning at Fenix Battery Recycling in Kilwinning, Scotland, for more than 24 hours, and hundreds of locals have reportedly been forced to leave their homes.
Police told residents in the town of North Ayrshire to stay indoors as a precaution while emergency services dealt with the incident.
The Pryde of Playz community centre has offered its doors to residents who had to leave their homes because of the thick black smoke in the sky.
Fire services received reports of a fire at the plant, on Byrehill Place, at 10pm yesterday.
Videos showed the fire tearing through the roof of the centre, with witnesses saying they heard ‘explosions’ from batteries bursting inside the plant.
One local said STV News the plant was an ‘accident waiting to happen’ and added that the noises from the fire ‘sounded like a terror attack’.
Bobby Stevely, 71, said The Scottish Sun: ‘It was like Beirut around here last night. The loud sounds continued for hours. It was like a war zone.’
Charlene McAliece, 44, said she had to sleep in her car last night after safely leaving her children with family.
In a 6.45pm statement, the fire service said firefighters are still at the location.
No one has been reported injured and the reason for the fire has not yet been found.
Area Commander Jim Quinn said: ‘We continue to work with the recycling centre and partner agencies to minimize the disruption to the local community and will continue to provide updates.
‘While smoke can still be seen, we ask that residents stay at home and keep windows and doors closed as a precaution.
‘If driving through smoke, drivers should keep windows closed, turn off air conditioning and keep their air vents closed.’
Police said that while there has been no evacuation order enforced, ‘this will be kept under review’.
Health officials have advised people sheltering in place at the nearby West Byrehill estate to stay indoors, close all windows and doors and switch off any mechanical ventilation, such as air conditioning.
‘This situation has the potential to continue for more than 24 hours due to the current smoke levels in the surrounding area,’ they said.
‘Services on-site are continually monitoring the situation and will update as soon as new information becomes available.’
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