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Battery likely started huge recycling site blaze

Steve Hubbard/BBC Huge cloud of dark grey smoke billowing from the ground, with flame visible in the lower half. There are bushes in front of the smoke. There is a single-storey building to the right and another to the left. There are people standing on the yard in between.Steve Hubbard/BBC
A huge fireball engulfed part of a recycling site in Rushden, Northamptonshire

A huge fire at a recycling warehouse was likely started by a battery that may have been mixed in with other waste, the fire service said.

A major incident was declared while 15 crews fought the blaze at Monoworld, on Sanders Lodge Industrial Estate in Rushden, Northamptonshire, last Friday.

The fire service said the inferno was started accidentally by the "spontaneous combustion of a viable ignition source", although the exact item could not be found due to the fire's intensity.

The site is due to be handed back to the owners, although firefighters will continue monitoring temperatures and dampening down hotspots.

Ant Saddington/BBC The scene of the fire from the air, with large sections of twisted and charred metal with small window holes visible. There is a large metal tank to the left.Ant Saddington/BBC
The fire has destroyed a large area of the site

The blaze started just before 06:30 BST, closing several roads and prompting the fire service to warn people to keep doors and windows shut.

An investigation has been under way on site ever since to determine the cause.

Daniel Retter, one of the incident commanders during the blaze, said: "Early this morning [Friday] it was confirmed that the cause is accidental - it was caused by spontaneous combustion of a viable ignition source, likely to be a battery."

He said he could not give any more details as the intensity of the fire meant it was not possible to find the exact item that started the blaze.

Steve Hubbard/BBC Dark grey smoke funneling out from base to top in the centre of the photo. There are fields with hedges around the smoke plume and a road in the foreground.Steve Hubbard/BBC
A tornado-like smoke plume was visible from several counties

He emphasised that the service had completed "a thorough and robust process, speaking to on-site staff, speaking to people in the local area, analysing things like CCTV and the conclusion we've come to we're very confident in."

He added that someone mixing a battery in with their other waste was a "potential" cause of such a huge fire.

Ant Saddington/BBC Daniel Retter with very short light-coloured hair smiling at the camera while wearing a black shirt with a fire service logo on it. There is a two-storey white building behind him with small windows and Monoworld Group in blue writing.Ant Saddington/BBC
Daniel Retter, from the fire service, said the smell from the site was not dangerous but unpleasant

Mr Retter said it was "likely that a fire presence will be here sporadically, coming back looking for further hotspots, but that presence will diminish over time and the business will work towards recovery".

He said the advice for local people was to keep their doors and windows shut if they smelt something coming off the site.

"We're confident there's no public health hazard because of it, but it's not a nice smell to have," he added.

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