FIRE crews remain at the scene of a building fire on a former plastics site this morning.
At around 10.30pm on Sunday, five fire engines were sent to Paterson Street, off Highfield Road, in Blackburn to the former V10 Polymers site following reports of a blaze.
The site has been empty for some years and is regularly used as a dumping ground for waste.
Crews said the fire involved domestic waste and was around 20 metres by 20 metres in size, and spent the majority of the night tackling the blaze.
On Sunday night, a spokesperson for the fire service said: "We currently have five fire engines in attendance at a commercial building fire on Highfield Road, Blackburn.
"If you are affected by smoke, please keep all windows and doors closed. Please avoid the area while we deal with the incident."
We currently have five fire engines in attendance at a commercial building fire on Highfield Road, Blackburn.
— Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service (@LancashireFRS) May 29, 2022
If you are affected by smoke, please keep all windows and doors closed.
Please avoid the area while we deal with the incident.#Blackburn pic.twitter.com/b5p9HhRfFn
Five fire engines from Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn, and Burnley, together with an aerial ladder appliance (ALP) from Hyndburn, were sent to the fire and used five jets as well as the ALP to extinguish the flames.
The abandoned plastics site has become a dumping ground for rubbish in recent years and attracts vermin, with nearby residents demanding to know why it has not been dealt with.
The land was bought by Isle of Man-based Driftdale Ltd in November 2017, after having been hit by four fires in the space of only a few months.
Land owner Dennis Rogers pledged to redevelop the site into housing, consisting of 88 units, and last June work began to make the area more accessible for emergency services in case there should be any future fires, such as there was on Sunday.
Mr Rogers was granted planning permission to build on the land during the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020.
However, the site is still being used as a dumping ground for bin bags, rubbish and fly-tippers; it has become a haven for anti-social behaviour and paradise for breeding rats.
Firefighters remain at the scene this morning.
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