Reading: Residents evacuated from homes as tyres factory burns

By Oliver Hall

Dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes yesterday after hundreds of tyres went up in flames at a warehouse.

Around 60 firefighters tackled the blaze at the tyres recycling plant in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, which rapidly spread to nearby buildings in the yard.

Residents on Frederick Street and Cowood Road - which are adjacent to the site - had to be evacuated from their homes to the Plant Hotel and then on to a rest centre in Conisbrough.

Others were advised to keep their doors and windows closed as the noxious smoke billowed over the town.

Doncaster Council said it had opened the Conisbrough Social Education Centre as a rest centre for residents who were evacuated from homes on Frederick Street and Cawood Street.

Jane Miller, director of neighbourhoods and communities for Doncaster Council, said: “We are awaiting the results of air quality testing to see if it is safe for residents to return home and go outdoors.

“In the meantime, residents in Mexborough are still advised to keep doors and windows closed. As a precaution please stay inside until further notice due to the large amount of smoke in the area.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 at 5:42 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.