Firefighters have finally managed to extinguish the enormous fire which started at a recycling centre in Birkenhead last night.
On a busy Bonfire Night for crews across the region, the most serious incident happened at Cleveland Street, off Duke Street, with up to six engines called to tackle the blaze on the Wirral.
Upon arrival shortly before 7.30pm, emergency services discovered a 15-metre-high pile of wood set alight, with firefighters working throughout the night to put it out.
Residents living nearby were advised that windows and doors should be kept closed.
Road closures were made around the site and still remain in place today, while Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service eventually left the scene this afternoon.
One local, Kathy Meadows, 63, told JMU Journalism: “There’s lots of rubbish around there, so I’m not surprised. It was bound to happen. I’m just shocked at how big it was really.”
Another resident, Alan Morrison, 40, hopes some good will come out of last night’s incident. He told JMU Journalism: “I was just walking back from my local off-licence and saw it. It’s not nice seeing huge fires near where you live, but hopefully it will raise some awareness of the rubbish often left there, otherwise, it could happen again.”
Fire officials said there was still a large amount of smoke in the area this morning which they were monitoring, as they liaised with staff at nearby Our Lady and St Edward’s Catholic Primary School, but all children were safe.
An investigation into the cause of the blaze is now underway.
Twitter: Mersey Fire
This striking image shows the tough conditions faced by @MerseyFire crew battling a serious fire at a recycling centre in Birkenhead last night pic.twitter.com/g47uM1Sjwp
— Mersey Fire (@MerseyFire) November 6, 2018
YouTube: Tom Cameron, JMU Journalism