Eight fire crews tackle blaze on large Widdington rubbish pile

Essex firefighters tackled a blaze on a waste heap in Widdington in the early hours today (May 19) after sparks from a nearby wood burner ignited the rubbish pile.

Two crews from Saffron Walden and one each from Newport, Stansted, Halstead, Thaxted, Wethersfield, and Bishop Stortford were called at 2.39am to Hollow Road, where the large heap was 20 per cent alight.

Essex Fire and Rescue officers surrounded the fire and a digger was also used to tackle the large quantity of rubbish on the pile.

The fire was extinguished at 8.40am and four hose reel jets and one water bowser were used in the incident.

Assistant divisional officer Kevin Haywood said: “Crews did a fantastic job extinguishing this fire as quickly as they did. Fires like this can last weeks, or even months, so for crews to have dealt with it in just seven hours is a remarkable achievement.

“Firefighters first on the scene worked exceptionally hard to control the initial blaze and this was supported by colleagues from across Essex and from across the border.

“I would also like to thank onsite staff who were excellent and helped us tackle this fire quickly and effectively.

“The fire appears to have been started accidentally when sparks from a nearby wood burner landed on the rubbish pile.”

The site will be revisited by officers later today for extra checks.