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Major fire at Smethwick recycling factory tackled | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A fire involving 50,000 tonnes of plastic recycling material and a factory unit in the West Midlands has been declared "a major incident". | |
The fire service said 150 firefighters were at the scene in Smethwick. | |
A plume of smoke is rising 6,000ft into the air. Birmingham International Airport has been alerted although there is currently no impact on flights. | |
The incident is on an industrial estate, but the closest residents are being advised to keep windows closed. | |
Crews are expecting to be at the scene off Dartmouth Road for days. | |
The fire service said its control centre had received more than 200 calls about the blaze and urged people to call 999 only if really necessary. | |
Jack Awal said he could see the fire from his home a couple of miles away in Handsworth. | Jack Awal said he could see the fire from his home a couple of miles away in Handsworth. |
He said: "I heard a loud bang and went outside to see what it was. | He said: "I heard a loud bang and went outside to see what it was. |
"I immediately recognised where the smoke was coming from. I knew it had to be a factory. | "I immediately recognised where the smoke was coming from. I knew it had to be a factory. |
"It was like a scene from a movie. There were so many large explosions and loud bangs. It was like a firework display - there were loud crackles and bangs every few seconds." | "It was like a scene from a movie. There were so many large explosions and loud bangs. It was like a firework display - there were loud crackles and bangs every few seconds." |
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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