FIREFIGHTERS sent to tackle a fire at a warehouse full of fridges and washing machines found the building well alight and had to keep a vigil overnight and into the next day as a deep-seated fire continued to smoulder.

The fire broke out at the recycling plant in a country lane between Alvington and Netherend around 4pm last Sunday. Six pumps, six specialist units and more than 49 fire officers attended the initial blaze. Crews remained overnight and by Monday afternoon a hydraulic platform had been called in to try and douse the continuing fire.

Speaking from the scene, station manager, Simon McMillan said: "When we got here the fire was going like the clappers – a technical term for well alight.

"The problem is that a deep seated fire is continuing to burn and the building is packed with fridges, fridge freezers and washing machines, which will be full of plastics, hazardous metals and even chemicals – we just don't know.

"It is also very difficult to reach. We can't go inside the building, so we've been trying douse it from outside, but the roof is continuing to do its job, which is why we've called in the platform.

"Our other problems are access, the lane is very narrow, and the plant is surrounded by housing. At the height of the fire the closest house was beginning to steam. And then there's water, which is often an issue. The nearest water hydrant is probably down at the main road, which would mean running huge lengths of pipe. Fortunately we were lucky here in that we managed to pump water from a nearby brook."

The owner of the plant, who didn't want to be identified, said: "I was in my office when I started hearing bangs. Some of my neighbours are having work done at the moment, so I didn't think too much of it at first, but then they began to sound very close. When I got outside there were flames coming out of the building and it was well alight."

Group manager for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, Tally Giampa, said: "The building and the entire contents of the freezers have been completely destroyed by the fire. The Environmental Protection Unit is assisting the Environment Agency to control fire water run-off from entering the nearby stream.

"The substantial number of domestic units stacked in the building and the toxic plume engulfing the low lying area made conditions very difficult for firefighters.

•The Service said the fire is believed to have been started accidentally from an electrical source inside the warehouse.