School shuts as fire breaks out at Great Bridge scrapyard
- Published
About 1,000 tonnes of scrap metal at the scrapyard in Great Bridge was on fire, the brigade said
An estimated 1,000 tonnes of scrap metal has been set alight at a scrapyard causing a nearby school to shut for the day and roads to close.
The fire at a site on George Henry Road, Great Bridge, West Midlands, sent a large plume of black smoke into the air which could be seen from afar.
Harvills Hawthorn Primary School and several roads were closed.
Part of the A41 Black Country New Road was shut along with George Henry Road and the A461 Great Western Way.
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Nearby residents were asked to close their windows and doors for most of the day, West Midlands Fire and Rescue said.
The huge smoke plume from the fire was seen from several miles away, people on social media said.
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Eight fire engines were sent to the site on Wednesday morning along with other equipment.
More than 40 firefighters were supported by a drone to look for further fire outbreaks and paramedics were on standby.
Water from a nearby canal was used to fight the blaze while staff at the yard worked to move scrap to prevent the spread of the fire.
Staff at the yard have been shifting scrap to try to prevent the fire spreading
The huge smoke plume from the blaze was reported by people across the area on social media
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