Battery Warning After Waste Depot Fire

A battery that sparked or exploded is thought to have started a major fire at a waste depot near Market Harborough.

Investigators from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service say the most-probable cause of the blaze was a lithium-ion battery which had been discarded within recycling waste.

The fire involving a large amount of recyclables broke out at the FCC Environment base off the A6 bypass on the evening of March 13th and over 20 firefighters were needed to bring the flames under control.

Firefighters at the scene of the blaze

Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in vapes, e-scooters and other products, can generate large amounts of gas when crushed causing them to spark or explode and the fire has prompted a warning for people not to dispose of batteries – and devices with them in – in recycling or general waste bins.

An increasing number of fires are being caused by Lithium-ion batteries, with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service attending 63 such incidents last year including 28 inside properties.

Kevin Hubbard from LFRS’s community safety team spoke to HFM:

The recyclables were being stored in a barn-type building

FCC Environment is Harborough District Council’s waste contractor and the authority has echoed the warning over batteries.

Cllr Darren Woodiwiss, Cabinet lead for Environmental and Climate Change, said: “Residents should not dispose of any type of battery, lighter or other items that could cause a fire in their wheeled bin.

“These items can start a fire inside waste collection vehicles and at processing facilities.

“The fire service has indicated that a battery may have been the cause of last week’s depot fire.

“We ask residents to please ensure that batteries are removed from electronic goods before disposal and that batteries are taken to a recycling and household waste site or to a battery bank at a shop.”