A FIRE which broke out at a biomass company depot in North Yorkshire late last night (Tuesday, September 29) "could burn for a number of days".
The blaze started in an unprocessed wood pile at the Seras facility in Heck and Pollington Lane, Great Heck, prompting a response from fire brigades from three counties, who are still at the site after being called at 11.43pm yesterday.
The blaze has been reduced from 200 metres by 30 metres to 50 metres by 30 metres and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are advising residents and those travelling through the area to keep their windows closed.
The Seras site is close to the M62 and Selby (Image: Seras)
A spokesman for Seras said: "In the early hours of this morning a fire broke out in one of the unprocessed wood piles at our Pollington site.
"No-one was injured and our team attended the site, working excellently with the fire bridge to mitigate the impact.
"The fire brigade is still on site.
"It is too early to know the cause, and we await the all clear from the fire brigade before we can begin an investigation.
"We would like to thank all of our suppliers and customers for bearing with us during this time of disruption.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze could burn for days and crews and equipment from three counties have been at the scene, which is very close to the M62 between junction 34 and 35.
A service spokesperson advised residents north of Heck in the direction of Selby and anyone travelling through the area should keep their windows closed and anyone driving in the area to drive to the conditions of the road and take extra care if visibility is reduced by smoke.
Further updates, including any traffic management decisions, will be provided, the service said.
Seras said fires at storage sites remain a serious issue for the UK waste wood recycling industry and wider waste sector and pointed to recent figures from the Environment Services Association (ESA) show that its members have reported 1,518 fires in the year to March 2026, with at least 541 of these fires directly attributed to lithium-ion batteries.
A further 216 battery fires occurred in bin lorries.