Great Blakenham Sackers fire most likely caused by battery

The fire at Sackers in Great Blakenham last Thursday shut down train services, closed roads and saw dozens of firefighters called out.

It is thought the battery made it's was into the scrap metal section of the yard (Image: Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service)

Fire crews first attended the blaze in Gipping Road in the village just before 10am.

At its height, 80 fire personnel were on scene, as well as 22 engines.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has said it now believes the blaze was likely caused by a discarded battery at the site.

An investigation was launched shortly after the fire was brought under control and it was established that the most likely cause was a battery which had made its way into a pile of scrap metal.

An aerial view of the fire and smoke (Image: OBD Photography)

If batteries, or electricals containing batteries, are not properly separated they can end up being crushed in the waste and recycling process.

When punctured they can self-combust, setting fire to any surrounding dry and flammable waste and recycling.

The fire shut the roads, stopped the trains and had crews from Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex attending (Image: Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service) Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council cabinet member for public protection, said: “This was a major incident that caused massive disruption to a great many people and saw firefighters put themselves potentially in harm’s way as they bravely dealt with it.

“We all use batteries, we all benefit from them, and therefore it is everyone’s responsibility to dispose of them safely.

“I would urge people to learn from this incident – please, when you get rid of a battery, do it properly.”

It's not the first time Sackers has caught fire - last year there were two blazes within a month at the recycling centre in the village near Claydon.

Inside the Sackers site in Great Blakenham (file image) (Image: Newsquest)

READ MORE: What happened at the fire at Sackers in Great Blakenham

The plumes of smoke from last week's fire could be seen from as far away as Felixstowe and Mendlesham, as residents were urged to shut windows and doors for nearly 24 hours.

Trains were also severely affected as rail services from Ipswich to Norwich, Cambridge and Ely were cancelled owing to the potential danger from the fire to the adjacent railway track.

Steve Wiles, of Suffolk County Council (Image: East Suffolk Council)

The National Fire Chiefs Council said in May that lithium-ion batteries thrown in household rubbish bins had led to more than 1,200 fires in the UK waste system in the last 12 months, compared to only 700 in 2022.

In June last year, operations were disrupted at Haverhill waste transfer station in Homefield Road after fire broke out among 50 tonnes of rubbish. This was thought to have been caused by a battery.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has said batteries can be safely disposed of at any of the county's 11 recycling centres.