Doncaster Tyre Fire Will ‘Burn for Days’

A pile of around 2,000 tyres caught light at a landfill site in Hampole, Doncaster on 10 May. Fire crews were called to the Hazel Lane Landfill/waste recycling plant, run by Catplant Ltd at around 4.50am, according to local news reports. At the height of the blaze, there were a reported 40 fighters from both South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire dealing with a fire which was thought to extend down to five metres below the surface.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined and a fire service spokesman said no investigations into the cause would be made until the blaze had been put out. There have been no reports of injuries.

Firefighters worked to prevent the blaze from spreading to a larger pile of tyres by builing a fire break and using a foam blanket. The Sheffield Telegraph quoted South Yorkshire fire service Group Manager Dick Hutton as saying: “This is a deep-seated fire and we are expecting to be here for days rather than hours. Because of the amount of smoke in the area we would advise local residents to keep their doors and windows closed as a safety precaution.”

Firefighters were initially tackling the fire with five water jets and a high volume pump which can shoot out around 8,000 litres of water per minute.