A major fire that burned for more than 34 hours at a Ryde scrapyard is believed to have been started accidentally, with investigators considering either a bonfire or metal grinding works as the likely cause.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) has confirmed that the blaze at the Smallbrook Lane site is thought to have been accidental, bringing some clarity following one of the Isle of Wight’s longest-running fire service operations in more than 15 years.
The fire, which broke out on Wednesday morning, involved 8 shipping containers and prompted a large-scale emergency response, with crews from at least 9 different fire stations across the Isle of Wight and the mainland drafted in over the course of the incident.
Firefighters remained at the scene throughout Thursday, using multiple jets to continually cool the containers while monitoring the risk of further fire spread.
As the operation continued into Thursday evening, thick smoke once again billowed into the sky, with residents in the Haylands and Binstead areas advised to keep their windows and doors closed because of the acrid smoke.
The stop message was received at 22:41 on Thursday, before the site was handed back to its owners shortly after 10:00 on Friday morning.
Although the emergency response has now concluded, 1 fire crew is due to return to the scrapyard later today to carry out further inspections and check for any remaining hotspots.
HIWFRS has not confirmed what materials inside the shipping containers required such an extensive cooling operation during the incident.
Smallbrook Lane was closed for more than 48 hours while firefighters dealt with the blaze, reopening to traffic at around 08:00 on Friday.
