DOZENS of employees returning to work on Lydney's Harbour Road Industrial Estate were sent home on Tuesday morning as the smouldering remnants of a huge tyre dump fire sent choking smoke over adjoining premises.
It was a devastating start to the New Year for the workers at Preest Joinery and Polymer Reclamations as the fire took a hold early on Monday night.
Both premises were completely destroyed.
Local fire crews were soon on the scene but the scale of the fire escalated as it spread to a store of tyres estimated by police at 100 tonnes.
At one stage over a hundred firefighters were at the scene and specialist equipment was brought in from Avon and South Wales.
The crews successfully contained the blaze but as a safety precaution employees at nearby factories, returning to work after the Christmas and New Year break, were sent home as choking black smoke drifted over the estate on Tuesday morning.
Experts were expected to examine the scene on Tuesday to try and establish how the fire started.