Continued advice following Elstow Waste Transfer Station fire

Residents in the areas surrounding Elstow Waste Transfer Station are advised to continue to keep their windows and doors closed following a fire.

The areas currently impacted are Wixams, Wilstead, Houghton Conquest, Haynes, Cotton End, and Shortstown.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been at the scene of an incident at Elstow Waste Transfer Station since Friday (4 July) evening.  

The fire involves a large quantity of mixed recyclable household waste material, which has been confirmed by the site as non-hazardous.  

The building in which the fire started has been declared unsafe by a structural engineer. This means it is not safe for on-site workers and emergency responders to enter the building to put water directly onto the fire. Instead, the building is being systematically deconstructed to create a safe working environment for crews to extinguish the fire.  

Today (Wednesday 9 July), good progress is being made to bring the incident to a conclusion.

This multi-agency incident has involved partners including Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedfordshire Police, UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), the Environment Agency and wider health partners. 

As the forecasted temperature continues to rise over the coming days, the agencies involved have reviewed the current situation and the advice to residents remains the same; to keep their windows and doors closed if affected by smoke. Anyone with severe respiratory concerns should contact their GP or call 111, and those with existing respiratory conditions are advised to minimise their exposure.

The Environment Agency and UKHSA have stated there is no requirement to monitor the air quality in the surrounding areas as the waste has been classed as non-hazardous.  

Throughout the operation, a number of firefighting tactics have been discussed with the aim of bringing the incident to a safe conclusion.

A national waste fire tactical advisor attended the scene on Sunday and suggested the Service work with a team of specialists to be the first to try an innovative tactic of using high expansion foam to extinguish the fire. This action on Sunday had limited effect due to the location of the fire in the building.  The next step was a decision taken on Monday to deconstruct the building on advice from specialists. Specialist equipment was deployed and work began on Tuesday to systematically and safely deconstruct the building.  

Group Commander James West explained: “Waste fires are inherently difficult and complex incidents to resolve and rarely are concluded as quickly as we would like. The safety of the nearby residents, responders and on-site staff is paramount throughout an incident such as this, and we would like to thank those impacted for their continued patience and cooperation.”

Agencies have continued to work together to protect local waterways and public health by ensuring water run off is being controlled and contained and taken off-site for treatment.  

For further updates, please follow Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service on official channels.

UKSA further health advice:

Smoke can irritate the lining of the air passages, the skin and the eyes. Respiratory symptoms include coughing and wheezing, breathlessness, sputum (phlegm) production and chest pain. If symptoms occur, people should seek medical advice or call NHS 111.

Chemicals in the smoke can worsen existing health problems like asthma, and people should carry their inhaler with them.

With temperatures set to rise again, additional advice provided by UKHSA for residents regarding hot weather is:  

•  avoid areas affected by smoke  
•  draw curtains to limit direct sunlight heating-up internal surfaces  
•  use fans to recirculate air within the house to help keep cool 
•  take a break from the heat by moving to a cooler part of the house (especially for sleeping) 
•  wear lighter clothing  
•  keep hydrated with cool drinks 
•  check that central heating, lights and electrical equipment not in use are turned off  
•  set any air conditioning (preferably fitted with a HEPA filter) to recirculate mode  
•  open windows that are on the opposite side to the plume/smoke when it is safe to do so and when the air feels cooler outside than inside to get air flowing through the home, for example, at night 
•  once the smoke has moved away, consider opening doors and windows to allow properties to cool down, being mindful of changing conditions and that the smoke could return