AN INVESTIGATION is being launched into a “hazardous” fire that covered a village on the outskirts of York in foul-smelling smoke and debris.

Five fire crews spent all day yesterday fighting the blaze at BCB Environmental Services, based at Marston Business Park in Tockwith.

The fire grew as drums of waste inside the building exploded, sending balls of fire into the air.

A heavy cloud of acrid smoke from hazardous materials, such as paints and inks, descended on the village and then spread out towards west York.

Julian Sturdy, MP for York Outer and resident of Tockwith, said: “There has always been concern among the local community regarding something like this.

“There has been a number of minor incidents over the past few years on a much smaller scale and residents have been worried something like this would happen.

“We can’t speculate, but we must make sure there’s now a proper investigation into why it happened so something like this never happens again.”

Resident Barbara Hardman, of Fleet Lane, said she had slept with her bedroom window open and the smoke was coming in the window. “If they had managed to build the big one and this happened, what would that have been like?” she said.

Some residents left their homes to sit out the worst of the cloud from upwind, and the fire service advised residents to stay inside with their doors and windows closed.

Stephen Hayes, also of Fleet Lane, joined other villagers who had evacuated the village and congregated upwind of the fire as the black shadow descended over his house.

“I closed the doors and windows to stop the smell getting in but it got thicker and denser so I woke my wife up and we decided in the absence of any knowledge to get out in the car and get away from being underneath the smoke.

“Local knowledge tells me BCB is a site full of waste and chemicals and there was a smell outside of burning rubber and chemical smoke. We could hear bangs and pops as the drums exploded and every time a big flame went into the air with a billow of dense black smelly smoke.”

He said he had to fish bits of debris that had dropped from the cloud out of his pond and his car was covered in ash.

Tockwith resident Dave Simpson, an arts journalist for The Guardian, said: “At about 6am I heard what sounded like demolition noises or the sound of a quarry. When I got up I saw a massive black cloud over the BCB chemical plant, headed over the village.

“Then there were more noises which it became apparent were explosions. One of them shook my house.”

The fire was reported by a member of the public at 4am and was still smouldering last night.

The Health and Safety Executive confirmed it would be launching an investigation once it can get onto the site.

Phil Boardman, managing director of BCB, said: “It is too early to know what caused this fire, but we are currently co-operating with the fire and rescue service and will work closely with them and the Environment Agency in any subsequent investigation. Once the cause of the fire has been identified, we will assess what remedial action may be needed to ensure that all further risk of fire is minimised.”

Earlier this year, BCB was fined after admitting three health and safety offences involving its handling of flammable chemicals and its equipment.

A spokesman for BCB Environmental Management earlier defended its safety record. He said: “There is no question about the safety record of BCB Environmental Management, otherwise it wouldn’t have a licence.”


Fears over incinerator bid

Mark Algar, a member of Tockwith Residents Association, said the blaze demonstrated why BCB Environmental Management, which currently handles 14,000 tonnes of waste, should not be allowed to build a larger incinerator on the site.

Plans to process 60,000 tonnes of waste a year were rejected by North Yorkshire County Council’s planning committee in December 2009.

The deadline to make the appeal however has expired and a spokesman from the business said no final decision had been made on whether they would continue with the project.

Mr Algar said: “One of the main arguments when they proposed the incinerator was that it's too close to homes for such an operation dealing with hazardous chemicals."

He said the way the wind blew the cloud of smoke directly through the village demonstrated what could happen if the incinerator project went ahead.

“There would have been substantially more waste to burn today if it had been built. It is only 500 metres from people’s homes. It’s too close and risky.”

Mr Algar, of Prince Rupert’s Drive, said another of the association’s objections was that there was not enough water on the site to easily fight a fire.

Appliances were travelling to the top of Prince Rupert’s Drive and the crossroads at the end of Rudgate to get water to take to the blaze.