A large blaze at a landfill site near Verwood in Dorset took more than 40 firefighters to bring it under control including crews from Swanage and Wareham.
The significant incident which started just after 9 pm on Monday 30th September 2024, was attended overnight by fire stations from across Dorset and Hampshire.
More of an incinerator than landfill site as the rubbish burns
The firefighters had to take care due to the toxic fumes
Hazardous environment
The crew from Verwood Fire Station was first on the scene and quickly requested more resources to help tackle the fire in the hazardous environment.
Firefighters from Wareham Fire Station were called out at 10.20 pm while the waste from the recycling centre continued to burn.
Swanage firefighters then got the call just after 1 am on Tuesday 1st October 2024 to take over from crews that had been working into the night to extinguish the fire.
The incident was scaled back at 2 am but some firefighters including those from Swanage remained to keep a check on the smouldering rubbish overnight.
On the night shift
A water supply was pumped from the nearby entrance to the Ebblake Industrial Estate
The smelly remains of the smouldering rubbish
“Turning over and damping down”
Swanage Fire Station reported:
“Our off road appliance along with one crew was alerted to go to the recycling centre near Verwood for relief duties to a large incident.
“We were there for several hours, turning over and damping down before handing over to fresh crews.
“It’s not everyday you get to see the sunrise while standing on a pile of rubbish. Who said the life of an on-call firefighter isn’t glamorous!”
Dawn breaks
Change of scenery for the Swanage crew, more used to heathland than wasteland!
Big diggers were used to turn over the rubbish in an effort to extinguish the flames
Futher information
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