Recycling Lives thank firefighters for bringing major blaze in Preston under control

The blaze, which covered 2,500 square metres of Recycling Lives’ Longridge Road site, started just before 10.20pm on Friday night.

Drone footage from nearby resident Stephen Melling reveals the extent of the fire.

Seven fire engines tackled the flames and as smoke plumes billowed into the air, Lancashire Fire and Rescue service had urged residents living nearby to keep their windows and doors closed.

That warning is still in place this morning as the Fire Service reduced its fire engines at the site to five. Station manager Matt Armstrong said: “We’re still advising members of the public to keep their doors and windows shut.

“The smoke plumps have disappeared but we are still getting flare ups when we’re turning things over.”

Recycling Lives has issued a thanks to fire crews who brought the flames under control.

A spokesman for the waste management company said: “A fire at our Preston Recycling Park overnight has now been brought under control thanks to the work of Lancashire Fire and Rescue and our own team.

“The fire was identified by our safety and security systems. Both our teams and emergency services were quickly on site; deploying our critical incident processes to ensure the fire was rapidly brought under control and no-one was injured.

“We are now reviewing our procedures and will work alongside the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.

“We apologise to local residents for any inconvenience caused and thank them for their patience as Longridge Road remains closed to vehicles this morning, to allow for water flow into site.

“Thank you to Lancashire Fire and Rescue as well as our own team for their excellent work and the immediate deployment of risk management plans.”

A fire investigation team is working to establish the cause of the blaze.