A fire that broke out at Blenheim’s Resource Recovery Centre yesterday has caused "significant damage" – forcing the facility to close for an extended period while investigations continue into the cause.
The blaze erupted inside the Wither Rd recycling centre on Thursday afternoon, sending thick smoke across nearby streets and prompting warnings for residents to shut their windows.
Fire crews extinguished the flames around 1.30pm, but the fire reignited an hour later. Crews remained on site to put it out a second time.
The fire was believed to have begun in a pile of cardboard before spreading to cans, plastics and paper in the sorting area.
Marlborough District Council’s solid waste manager Mark Lucas said a major clean-up operation was underway.
"The Resource Recovery Centre has suffered extensive damage and will be closed for some time," he said.
"Our kerbside collection will continue as normal and we’re working quickly to put alternative arrangements in place so recycling in Marlborough can continue."
The Blenheim Transfer Station, the Hazardous Waste Centre and the Dump Shop all remained closed.
Lucas said staff on site acted swiftly when the fire was discovered, and no one was injured.
"They did everything they could to put it out and made the right decision to evacuate when it became clear they needed to."
Six fire appliances attended the blaze, including one from Nelson. Between 20,000 and 30,000 litres of water were poured into the building and up to three times that used outside the structure.
"We’re incredibly grateful to all the fire crews involved, many of them volunteers, who worked in difficult conditions to contain the fire," Lucas said.
A fire investigator has visited the site, but the cause of the blaze was not yet confirmed.
Marlborough District Council said the pubic would be notified once alternative recycling arrangements and reopening timelines were in place.
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