Contractors have demolished an entire bay of an industrial unit to help fire-fighters put out a blaze.
It means fire-fighters tacking the incident at Fforestfach are getting quicker and better access to approximately 5,000 tonnes of burning tyre flock, a by-product of tyre recycling.
The contractors using specialist plant equipment will now press ahead with demolishing the remaining two bays as fire-fighters make further progress on site.
Roger Thomas, Group Manager with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This is a vey complex fire to extinguish because the burning material has to be removed from the building in sections and immersed in water.
“The building is being demolished in stages to help us get better access to the burning material and to speed-up the process of putting the fire out.
“The demolition of one of the bays is a major step forward and we continue to make very good progress in removing and extinguishing the burning material.
“We have made great progress on site in recent days. We have demolished a large section of the building which means we are removing the burning material more quickly.”
The burning product is being immersed in a temporary dam area created on site and large water-filled tanks to extinguish it.
The fire at the former Mettoys factors was reported on June 16. The cause is unknown and a joint fire and police investigation is under way.
Dr Jorg Hoffman, a Consultant in Health Protection for Public Health Wales, also welcomed the significant progress that has been made.
He said, “It is likely significant smoke levels will continue for the time being and advice remains the same for residents to make every effort to minimise the exposure.
“Public Health Wales, which is represented in all levels of the incident response, is very impressed with the work of the fire service and the contractors on site and we are getting more and more confident that the duration of the incident will be significantly shorter than initially expected.”
To catch the latest updates on progress with the fire go to www.swansea.gov.uk/fforestfachfire or follow the Council on twitter @swanseacouncil
