Updated: Firefighters “damping down hotspots” at Kronospan four days after fire broke out

Updated: Wrexham Council have issued a further statement this afternoon about the fire at Kronospan.

A council spokesperson said: “The fire and rescue service remain on site in Chirk damping down hotspots and it is hoped the incident will be handed back to Kronospan for their personnel to continue damping down any material in the near future.

“All agencies agreed that this is a significant incident and as such, Natural Resources Wales agreed to bring a specialist mobile pollution monitoring station up from South Wales to be stationed in Chirk. The unit was deployed late evening Wednesday 15th January and air quality data is currently being reviewed.

“Officers from Wrexham Council will continue to liaise with all other agencies and endeavour to keep residents advised of any issues relating to this incident.”

Original: North Wales Fire and Rescue Service remain at the scene of a fire at a factory in Chirk.

Firefighters have been on site at the Kronospan log yard since the blaze broke out in the early hours of Monday morning.

An update today from the fire service states that crews are “damping down hotspots” and that there is “very little smoke leaving the site at present any smoke is heading north / west.”

Earlier this week residents in Chirk and the surrounding areas had been asked to keep their windows and doors closed as a precaution due to the plumes of smoke coming from the site.

Yesterday Ysgol Y Waun primary school, on Lloyd’s Lane in Chirk, said it had taken advice from the environmental health, housing team and the local authority health and safety team regarding the fire at Kronospan.

As a result the decision was taken to keep pupils indoors during break time.

An update posted online today by the school, states: “Kronospan have met with fire crews at 9am this morning and have confirmed that the fires are extinguished and no longer producing any smoke.

“I have also walked the grounds and can no longer smell the smoke. We are therefore happy to allow pupils to go outside today.”

A spokesperson for Wrexham Council said: “We are working on a multi agency basis with the police, fire and rescue service, Natural Resources Wales and Public Health Wales in relation to the fire at Kronospan.

“The fire is under control however the nature of it is such that it will continue to smoulder for some time.

“We are aware that residents may be concerned about the effects of the smoke but can provide reassurance that, whilst perhaps unpleasant, the smoke is resulting from raw timber burning and is not related to the plant itself.

“Air quality will continue to be monitored due to the prolonged nature of the incident.”

“Schools have been contacted by our Corporate Health and Safety staff and appropriate advice given. We will continue to stay in touch with all partners directly involved with the incident and community organisations.

Advice to residents has also been issued by Public Health Wales issued earlier this week, said: “If you are in a place affected by smoke, stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed when affected by the smoke, but open them again to air your home when the smoke passes.

“If you need to be outdoors, avoid areas affected by smoke or ash, or limit the time you spend in them. Motorists who have travel through the smoke should keep windows closed, turn off air conditioning and keep their air vents closed.

“Smoke can irritate airways, the skin and the eyes leading to coughing and wheezing, breathlessness and chest pain. This can also mean that problems such as asthma get worse; people with asthma should carry their inhaler with them at all times.

“Odours associated with fires can cause annoyance, stress and anxiety, nausea, headaches or dizziness. These are common reactions to odours, rather than to the substances that cause the smell. We are able to detect odours at levels that are much lower than can cause harm to health.”

Anyone concerned about their symptoms should contact their GP or NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. The symptoms usually disappear quickly and should not lead to long term health problems.