A blaze at a plastic recycling factory, described by firefighters as one of the biggest ever seen in the West Midlands, is believed to have been started by a single Chinese lantern.
At its height, some 200 firefighters were tackling the blaze at the site in Smethwick, on the outskirts of Birmingham.
An estimated 100,000 tonnes of recycling material and a factory unit were set alight, and crews battled to stop the flames spreading to neighbouring businesses.
Vij Randeniya, chief fire officer at West Midlands Fire Service, told Sky News: "We believe a Chinese lantern dropped onto some bales of plastic and, looking at CCTV, it would appear that was the cause.
"Chinese lanterns have been involved in a number of incidents and firefighters have been campaigning for there to be better controls.
"They look really nice but they do pose a danger."
Two firefighters were taken to hospital and 11 more were treated at the scene by paramedics, although their injuries are thought to be minor.
Mr Randeniya said firefighters were tackling "one of the largest fires we've experienced", with intense heat released from the burning plastics.
"These are difficult fires to extinguish and we anticipate being here for a number of days," he said.
A spokesman for Birmingham International Airport said there was no disruption to flights, despite a plume of thick black smoke more than 1,800m high that could be seen from 30 miles away.
A number of roads around the recycling plant were closed but the nearby M5 motorway remained open.
At its height, some 200 firefighters were tackling the blaze at the site in Smethwick, on the outskirts of Birmingham.
An estimated 100,000 tonnes of recycling material and a factory unit were set alight, and crews battled to stop the flames spreading to neighbouring businesses.
Vij Randeniya, chief fire officer at West Midlands Fire Service, told Sky News: "We believe a Chinese lantern dropped onto some bales of plastic and, looking at CCTV, it would appear that was the cause.
"Chinese lanterns have been involved in a number of incidents and firefighters have been campaigning for there to be better controls.
"They look really nice but they do pose a danger."
Two firefighters were taken to hospital and 11 more were treated at the scene by paramedics, although their injuries are thought to be minor.
Mr Randeniya said firefighters were tackling "one of the largest fires we've experienced", with intense heat released from the burning plastics.
"These are difficult fires to extinguish and we anticipate being here for a number of days," he said.
A spokesman for Birmingham International Airport said there was no disruption to flights, despite a plume of thick black smoke more than 1,800m high that could be seen from 30 miles away.
A number of roads around the recycling plant were closed but the nearby M5 motorway remained open.
Source : SkyNews
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