Ketley fire: Clean-up operation to last months once blaze is extinguished

Rubbish is still burning at Greenway Polymers – formerly known as Johnson Aggregates & Recycling Ltd, Greenway Waste Recycling and Pink Skips – and residents are still being advised to keep their windows shut 48 hours on from the incident starting.

Six schools in the nearby areas of Ketley, Overdale, Wellington and Lawley were shut today and yesterday amid concerns about smoke.

Fire engines were sent scrambling to the fire soon after noon on Monday, after residents noticed clouds of black smoke billowing out of a warehouse and over the nearby M54. The road is still down to one lane and fire crews are situated on the motorway to help extinguish the burning rubbish from above.

At its peak, the incident had 80 firefighters and 14 engines battling to keep it under control. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service assistant chief fire officer Dan Quinn said it was a "really significant fire" for a relatively small fire service.

"It could have been a lot worse," he said, if not for the hard work of fire crews from all over Shropshire who are still being drafted in to help.

Including the material affected by pumped water, there are about 50 tonnes of contaminated material to be dealt with once the fire has been completely extinguished, he said.

He thanked the public for their support and understanding while schools and roads are affected, but said that fire crews will realistically still be working on putting out the last of the fire into next week.

"We really threw the kitchen sink at it – assertive, aggressive firefighting tactics to bring it under control," he added.

"Issues include the smoke plume, which is constantly changing. For the next 24 hours it's going over the Wrekin which is great for us, but other times it will twist and go over the M54.

"We're working very closely with highways, the obvious thing would be for us to close the M54 but we appreciate the carnage that would cause.

"We're working with the Environment Agency and Public Health England to understand what the composition of the smoke is, we're advising everyone to stay away from the area if possible.

"We are going to be here for a long time, it's going to be working on the fire for some time, then the subsequent clean-up... there will be firefighters here for two or three months.

"It's about managing people's expectations. We're expecting to have some kind of restriction on the M54 into next week.

"At the moment we are dealing with an unsafe structure so we can't even get into the structure – we're fighting it from the outside.

"A fire investigation has started.

"We want to thank the community for their support – we recognise the impact it's having on their lives. Their fire service is working for them to make them safer."

Telford & Wrekin Council said: "The M54 J6 eastbound entry slip road (Ketley Dingle Interchange) is closed until Friday, May 7 (anticipated).

"Waterloo Road, Ketley, is closed in both directions.

"In addition, the M54 will be closed eastbound between junctions 7 and 5 tonight [Wenesday] between 9pm and 6am."