Fire crews still tackling blaze in Eden almost a week on

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service crews remain in attendance at a large refuse fire at Thackwood Recycling Centre, near Southwaite which started late in the evening on 29 December.

The fire involves around 250 tonnes of shredded waste. Crews have already dealt with approximately half of this and are continuing to extinguish the fire using two fire engines from Lazonby and Penrith and a Water Bowser.

As crews work to continue to extinguish the fire there will inevitably be smoke in the area. If you can see or smell smoke coming from this incident, please close your windows and doors and avoid the area if you can.

Colin Cox, Cumbria County Council’s Director of Public Health said:

"Due to the ongoing smoke in the area, air quality levels will be affected. The advice from Public Health is that residents in the surrounding area who are affected by the smoke should keep any windows and doors closed. Any residents with any concerns about their individual health should contact NHS 111.”

John Beard, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer added:

“We would like to thank the public for their patience and support whilst we work to bring this incident safely to a close. We appreciate that smoke in the surrounding area is not pleasant, however our crews along with the site operator are doing their upmost to safely extinguish the fire as quickly as possible, whilst minimising the impact on the local community. We anticipate that it could take a further 72 hours to extinguish the fire.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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