A HUGE effort by more than 100 firefighters prevented an even more dangerous blaze at Grosvenor Chemicals.
West Yorkshire Fire Service area manager Steve Rhodes yesterday described how his crews stopped the “very severe fire” from getting worse.
He said: “We were called at about 2am to a large fire which involved a number of buildings and had spread to some chemical tanks. Firefighters worked very hard through the night to stop it spreading to other chemical tanks.”
Mr Rhodes added: “It was a very severe fire with flammable liquids on the floor.
“Firefighters had to act very quickly to stop it escalating, and that’s what they did.
“The firefighters have done really well, given the intensity and ferocity of the fire.”
There were 25 fire engines at the scene throughout the night, including some from Greater Manchester.
Mr Rhodes added: “At the height of the fire we had 10 ground monitors – which are very large jets of water – operating. We also used foam to fight the fire.”
Mr Rhodes added that West Yorkshire Fire Service had a plan to deal with fires at major sites like Grosvenor Chemicals.
He said: “Firefighters have visited this place before, the response wasn’t unplanned.”
The fire was under control by 9.30am yesterday and fire crews were on-site throughout the day damping down and making the site safe.
Mr Rhodes said: “We’re making sure that the firefighters and the community are as safe as possible.
“At the height of the fire there was a huge plume of smoke going up in the air and it’s very difficult to say what was in that plume.”
Firefighters and three fire engines remained at the scene overnight.
A fire service spokeswoman said: “The fire is deep-seated and smouldering within a partly collapsed building. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is working alongside the Health and Safety Executive, monitoring the situation in liaison with other agencies.”
