Fire breaks out at Staffordshire landfill

A landfill site fire was being tackled by firefighters in Staffordshire yesterday, it has been reported.

The incident involving non-hazardous waste took place at the Biffa landfill site in Coldmeece, near Stone.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service station manager Rob Barber explained that crews from Stone, Stafford and Cannock and a water carrier from Cheadle were dealing with the blaze.

"They are being assisted by on-site heavy digging equipment which is removing piles of the waste, so the firefighters can extinguish it in sections," he said on Thursday.

Reports of the flames were received just before 7am, and crews were expected to remain at the fire throughout the morning.

In related news, the Ottawa Citizen reported earlier this week that concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulphide gas at a former landfill site in Quebec, Canada, has breached environmental legislation by exceeding World Health Organization standards more than 12,000 times since December 2008.

Written by Lauren Steadman