Fire crews are still at the scene of a smouldering at a waste site in Huddersfield which has been ongoing for several days.
The new owner of the former Hunter Group skip hire site off Queens Mill Road in Lockwood has brought in an excavator to try to shift some of the waste to allow firefighters to reach the seat of the fire.
If all goes well fire crews hope the heart of the blaze could be extinguished today.
Crew commander Steve Mosley said: “It’s just a case of getting the seat of the fire out into the open and exposed.”
But there is a danger, as more oxygen reaches the fire, of flames shooting into the air.
Firefighters have been regularly visiting the site to keep an eye on the situation.
A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “The council continues to support the Environment Agency, West Yorkshire Fire Service and new owners during this incident with a view to making the site safe. For example we have helped the owner in sourcing the right equipment to bring on site to reshape the waste piles. So far we have had positive movement towards a resolution but have reiterated that we will continue with our court action and any other appropriate actions required to bring the site back into an acceptable state and use.”
The fire was first noticed when council environmental health officers saw wisps of smoke coming from the top of a huge pile of shredded waste containing plastic, wood and paper.
But it is possible it has been smouldering for many days.
It is believed to have started as a result of a build up of heat within the composted waste.
Two jets of water were directed onto the smouldering pile but fire crews are reluctant to use too much water as the run off could pollute a nearby river.
Fire officers said the new operator of the site has helped by sending a digger to create a dam to prevent contaminated water from entering the river.
A fire service spokesman said: “The fire service will be there to cool things down as it is likely to flare up when the oxygen reaches it. It is likely to be a big job. We are hoping that with an excavator being used the seat of the fire will be reached quickly.”
He said the new owner is being “very amicable and has been working with us to sort it out.”
Fire officers are concerned to prevent a repeat of a fire several years ago at a waste transfer site at Scout Hill, Dewsbury, which burned for many weeks.
Residents have been calling for several weeks for the site to be cleared. There are hundreds of tonnes of waste at the tip, which has been described as “a stinking mess.”
The Environment Agency has staff at the scene, and is working with the council and the site owner to ensure he complies with its permit. The EA said it needs to give the new owner a reasonable amount of time to “bring the site into compliance” before enforcement was considered.
