Fire that closed Peterborough’s recycling centre blamed on battery in domestic appliance

The incident occurred at the centre at Dobson House, Fengate, shortly before 10.30am on September 26 and forced the hub to shut for several hours.

Fire crews from Stanground and Dogsthorpe extinguished the fire that they say was confined to a skip.

At one stage black smoke could be seen pouring from a warehouse.

A spokesperson from Peterborough City Council said: “The cause has been established as a lithium battery in the small electrical domestic appliance bin.

"There was some minor damage to one of the skips which meant that small electricals were unable to be accepted until today (September 28).

"Our staff at the centre acted swiftly to evacuate the site so that nobody was injured and firefighters attended swiftly to limit the spread of the fire.

She added: “We have also needed to reset the fire system, which has caused some complications with the sprinkler system going off in error on September 28.

"This led to a short 30 minute closure on site.

"We thank the public for their patience and understanding in managing this incident."

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire fire service said: “On September 26 at 10.28am crews were called to a fire at a recycling centre on Fengate.

"Crews from Stanground, Dogsthorpe and the north roaming fire engine responded.

“Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters used hose reels to extinguish the fire which was affecting a skip.

“The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.

“Crews returned by 1pm.”