Fire crews in Essex are continuing to tackle a fire at a timber storage yard in Chelmsford.
Around 500m³ of timber was caught up in the initial stages of the blaze, with a further 4,500m³ held at the site on the A1060 Roxwell Road.
It is believed the site holds old timber that is used as fuel.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said three crews and 15 firefighters remain at the site, and that it had struggled with poor water supplies in its attempts to bring the flames under control so has set a high volume pump with the capacity to move 7,000 litres a minute in nearby open water. It has also employed a seven-tonne digger to turn the timber and aid dampening down.
“We were severely hampered by poor water supplies, but the arrival of the high volume pump has alleviated those concerns and we have established a constant supply of water,” said incident commander Iain Macleod.
It is the second major fire at the timber storage yard this year, after 150 tonnes caught light in April.
