Clean-up begins following tyre blaze (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Clean-up begins following tyre blaze

9:12am Friday 4th May 2007 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

A clean-up operation has been launched at a farm near Swindon after 8,000 tyres caught light, sending plumes of toxic smokes pouring over the town.

Firefighters were called to the inferno at Lower Burytown Farm on the B4019 shortly before 7pm on Wednesday.

And by mid-afternoon yesterday Wiltshire Fire and Rescue crews were still monitoring the situation at the farm between Blunsdon and Highworth.

The service has been working with Swindon Council, as well as the Environment Agency, to ensure local residents were safe and that no further damage was caused as a result of the fire.

Crews attended the scene from as far away as Chippenham and Trowbridge, with more local cover from Wootton Bassett and Swindon stations, and they used three specialised compressed air foam system appliances, in addition to three regular engines and a water carrier.

A fire service spokesman said the blaze had been brought under control quite quickly, but that crews were maintaining a watching brief to ensure there were no flare-ups or pockets of fire remaining.

This is the second time in less than a year that fire has struck the farm.

In August, 500 tonnes of straw caught alight.