M6 closes during chemical blaze

**BertRoot** · 2nd July 2007

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A plume of smoke rises from the fire: pic from Archie McAteer

Eyewitness video

</td> </tr> </tbody></table>   Part of the M6 has been closed after a fire at a waste disposal unit on a Lancashire industrial estate. Drums of chemicals caught fire and were exploding on the Veolia Cleanaway site on the Red Scar industrial estate in Ribbleton, police said on Monday.
People living nearby are being advised to stay indoors and close all windows and doors.
The motorway has been closed between junctions 31 at Samlesbury and the M55 at junction 32. 
The emergency services are at the scene.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/6260064.stm

**BertRoot** · 2nd July 2007

Chemical fire closes motorway

Fire

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Roads around Preston were in chaos today after thousands of litres of chemical waste went up in flames.
The M6 motorway is not expected to be completely open again until midday as firefighters battle to douse a the blaze after hundreds of chemical drums caught fire at the Veolia Environmental Services site on the Red Scar industrial estate.

People living in close to the scene reported seeing flames "leaping hundreds of feet in the air" early today and thousands of schoolchildren were kept at home with local schools closed.

The police were reporting that the fire had been brought under control shortly before 10am and the motorway was being reopened.

A spokesman said: "We are going to carry out a phased reopening of the motorway, due to the large number of vehicles there, we cannot simply open it and allow everyone to go because of the accident risk.

"We have reopened the first part of the northboound carriageway shortly before 10am and that will be followed by the southbound carriageway.

"We expect the full opening process to take around two hours and we are asking anyone caught up in the traffic to remain calm and bear with us."

Tailbacks stretched back to Junction 28 at Leyland going northbound on the M6 and Junction 33 at Galgate heading southbound and roads throughout Preston were gridlocked.

One motorist said: "It is just bumper-to-bumper throughout Preston. Anywhere you try to get into the city it is absolute gridlock, I think I have moved about 100 yards in half-an-hour."

Drivers were also being asked to keep windows closed and turn off fans as a huge chemical cloud floated above the fire.

A Veolia spokesman said that staff at the site had reported the fire shortly after 6am and the area has been evacuated within minutes of the blaze breaking out.

The company was now working with the Environment Agency and the fire service to find out which chemicals had been caught up in the fire.

He said: "There are a number of different chemicals situated on site and, with the building not yet safe to enter, it is unclear which ones have been caught up in the incident."

Police were advising people to stay away from the Broughton area and told anyone planning to travel down the M6 today to delay their journey until the chaos has cleared.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue said more than 40 firefighters had been sent to the incident as well as the chemical support unit from Burnley.

A foam tender support unit has also been sent which will be used to douse the chemical drums with foam.

The ambulance service is "on standby" with no casualties yet reported.

The site has a history of explosions with more than 60 people needing hospital treatment following a chemical blast there in 1995.

Seven years ago, there was further problems at the Preston Recycling site, on Red Scar, after a large stack of scrap metal and tyres went up in flames.

See full list of school closures here.

http://www.lep.co.uk/news?articleid=2996134

Causing a bit of a ruckus round here at the moment. Barely anyone in work at the moment.

**/dev/null** · 2nd July 2007

Bloody hell, there is about 20 miles between J32 and J33 too.. Glad I'm not around there today, lol!

**Nikki** · 2nd July 2007

Originally Posted by John Keymer

Bloody hell, there is about 20 miles between J32 and J33 too.. Glad I'm not around there today, lol!

Yeah i thought that too. bet it is complete chaos

**Undertaker** · 2nd July 2007

major chaos, i had to get to blackpool from blackburn, all roads were jammed packed, motorway shut as well

I managed to find a road that no one had figured existed, went over the motorway and it was so quiet got on the motorway within minutes and then I saw the traffic on the eastbound carriageway, bloody hell 4 miles of traffic between preston and kirkham

and there I was zooming the other way, LOL, it. these guys were out of their cars sitting on their roofs

it was grid locked for miles, up to chorley I heard. My friend said it took her 1.5 hours just to travel 5 miles

I was only late to work by 40 mins in the end

anybody else get caught up in this?