Thousands of tonnes of rubbish burns at Compton Bassett landfill fire in Wiltshire
Watch as fire burns at Wiltshire landfill site
More than 40,000 tonnes of rubbish has caught fire at a landfill site in Wiltshire.
The fire broke out at a landfill site in Compton Bassett at around 5.30am this morning (Wednesday 27 April) and crews remain on the scene.
The blaze has sent smoke billowing above Wiltshire, with residents in the area being warned to close their doors and windows.
In an update, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said 40 firefighters were sent to the blaze alongside environmental protection officers.
In total six fire engines and two water carriers were sent to the scene from across the county.
A spokesperson said: "On arrival, crews found approximately 40,000 tonnes of low-grade clinical waste and general household waste involved in fire, as well as an additional 2,000 tonnes of tyre bales, and a significant smoke plume, heading towards the south of Calne.
"Firefighters are making good progress by working alongside the site contractors to smother the fire with soil."
The incident has now been scaled back to three fire engines and one water carrier.
Group manager Karen Adams said: "We are advising local residents to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke in the area.
"As this fire will be ongoing for a number of hours we will update the public with any concerns regarding the smoke should they arise.”
Incident commander Dave Geddes speaks to ITV News West Country
Station manager Dave Geddes is the incident commander. He said: “We’ve made really good progress through today and will continue until we lose the daylight later.
"There will be a watching brief on site throughout the night, and then we will scale back up tomorrow morning to bring this incident to a conclusion.
“There is still smoke rising from the fire, and we appreciate that this has been of concern to local residents. Anyone local who is worried should continue to keep their doors and windows closed, and seek medical advice if they think they have been affected.
"We don’t yet have a cause for this fire and it’s possible that we will never know exactly what ignited it, due to the size of the affected waste stack.”