Fire at waste facility was accidental

The blaze at Biffa Waste Services Ltd

A fire at an industrial estate in Stoke-on-Trent was started accidentally, fire investigators have confirmed.

The blaze, at Biffa Waste Services Ltd, based at Newstead Industrial Trading Estate, on Alderflat Drive, began at around 8pm on Saturday (3 July).

At its peak, 400 tonnes of waste was involved in the fire which engulfed the 50m by 30m building and saw flames emerging from the roof.

Any items that do not belong in commercial waste, for example - batteries - should not be placed in there, and disposal firms rely on the public and businesses to do their bit to keep each other safe.

Fire Investigator, Ian Read, of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Thankfully no one was hurt in the fire and crews worked diligently to extinguish it safely.”

A spokesperson for Biffa said: "Our staff responded quickly to make the site safe and we are thankful that nobody was injured, a full internal investigation is now underway.

“We’d like to thank Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service crews for their outstanding work in getting the fire under control.”

Call 999 in an emergency.