WMFS
Credit: West Midlands Fire ServiceMore than 200 firefighters are currently tackling a huge fire at a plastics recycling facility in the West Midlands.
The fire, at the Jayplas site in Smethwick, is thought to have been started when a Chinese lantern landed in a bale of plastics.
Fire crews have been on the scene since late Sunday night (31st June) trying to control the blaze, which is thought to be the worst ever seen in the West Midlands area.
The fire, which involves 100,000 tons of recycled plastic and paper in an area 300 metres square, has produced a huge plume of thick black smoke over Birmingham and the Black country, which is reportedly rising 6,000ft into the air.
“We're seeing a trend in recycling and waste recycling site fires. A lot of our planning/training focuses on dealing with them,” West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said via its Twitter account earlier today.
WMFS said two firefighters have been treated at hospital and eight more have been treated at the scene for the effects of the intense heat.
Area commander, Steve Vincent, told BBC News: "This is a very dynamic and it is a massive fire for the West Midlands."