Fire crews tame Rotterdam waste plant blaze
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A fire broke out at a recycling plant near the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on the night of Aug 7.
PHOTO: AFP
- A fire broke out at a recycling plant near Rotterdam port, involving 50 to 100 tonnes of waste and causing thick, foul-smelling smoke.
- Emergency crews used fire units, a fireboat, and a drone to control the blaze overnight, closing key roads and the Maastunnel.
- Residents were told to stay indoors until warnings were lifted; firefighters continued working on hot spots and debris the next day.
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THE HAGUE – A fire broke out on the night of Aug 7 at a recycling plant near the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, spewing thick smoke across the area before being brought under control after an all-night operation, the authorities said.
The blaze prompted a large-scale emergency response involving fire units, a fireboat from the port and a drone used to identify hot spots, according to the public safety information service for the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region.
Traffic was cut on several key roads and via the Maastunnel linking the Dutch city’s northern and southern districts, although the restrictions were gradually lifted after the fire was wrestled under control early on Aug 8.
The flames engulfed an estimated 50 to 100 tonnes of household and commercial waste, sending a foul-smelling plume across the area.
Residents were advised to stay indoors, close their windows and doors and switch off ventilation systems.
Those warnings were lifted by the morning of Aug 8, but firefighters remained at the site extinguishing residual hot spots and separating debris. AFP
