Emergency resources from West Midlands Ambulance Service including ambulance vehicles, paramedic officers and the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were sent to the scene of a serious fire in Smethwick, West Midlands at approximately 11.30pm on Sunday night (03 July 2013).
The fire was said to have been caused by Chinese lanterns landing on over 100,000 tonnes of plastic waste at the recycling plant in Smethwick which is in Sandwell on the eastern edge of Birmingham.
Fire crews said the fire was one of the largest to have taken hold in the West Midlands, with over 200 firefighters in attendance. The Ambulance Service remained there supporting the fire and rescue teams until Tuesday.
A total of 12 firefighters were treated by ambulance service staff for a variety of minor injuries and three were taken to hospital overnight. Injuries included heat exhaustion, injuries to eyes and an ankle as well as one minor burn.
NARU Director Keith Prior said “This was a very large scale fire that had the potential to be extremely dangerous. We are full of praise for West Midlands Fire Service as well as the ambulance crews from WMAS who proved the importance of working together effectively on-scene.”
Photo courtesy of West Midlands Fire Service.