One hundred and fifty firefighters have been battling overnight to contain a blaze at a Garforth company which cast a huge plume of smoke which could be seen for miles around

The fire is now under control but 15 appliances are still at the scene.

At its height up to 30 fire appliances were involved in the incident with West Yorkshire being supported from the South, North Yorkshire and Greater Manchester brigades.

Fire broke out just after midnight at the WasteCare recycling and processing plant in Wakefield Road and the brigades had to use water jets and a foam attack to prevent the blaze spreading to nearby homes.

Neighbours and the residents at the Holiday Inn were evacuated. Three firefighters were admitted to hospital for a precautionary check-up.

“We were faced with a rapidly escalating fire which was contained very successfully and I would like to thank all the agencies for giving us such excellent support,” said Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling.

Police evacuated residents from nearby Hawthorne Terrace to the Gaping Goose public house as well as other alternate accommodation.

Staff and guests were evacuated from the Holiday Inn in Garforth to Oulton Hall and other nearby hotels.

A number of road closures have been put in place to assist emergency services dealing with the incident and these road closures are expected to remain in place for the remainder of the day.

These road closures that are currently in place are:

Junction 46 of the M1 at Colton is closed at both the entry and exit points.

Selby Road (A63) is closed from Lidgett Lane to the junction with the M1

Wakefield Road (A642) is closed from Main Street to Leeds Lane

Dr Mike Gent, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at West Yorkshire Health Protection Unit, said: "Residents in areas affected by the smoke should stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed as a precautionary measure.

Any motorists travelling through smoke should keep their windows closed and turn off air conditioning and keep air vents closed.

"Any smoke can be an irritant and as such, if people need to be outdoors, they are advised to avoid areas affected by any smoke or ash, or to limit the time that they spend in them.


"Chemicals in the smoke can worsen existing health problems like asthma. Some of the substances present in smoke can irritate the lining of the air passages, the skin and the eyes.

Respiratory symptoms include coughing and wheezing, breathlessness, sputum (phlegm) production and chest pain. If symptoms occur, people should seek medical advice or call NHS Direct 0845 4647.


"The Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies involved will continue to monitor the situation and issue advice to the public, businesses and organisations affected as necessary."


Yorkshire Water can confirm that drinking water has not been affected by the fire and the only effect local residents may notice is low pressure due the water demand of the fire service.


Leeds City Council's Emergency Planning Team were at the scene to co-ordinate the council's response and the evacuation of 20 local residents and 100 guests from the Holiday Inn at Garforth.

Highways staff worked with the police to help minimise traffic disruption and supply sand bags to help avoid pollution to the water course and the land drainage section also provided advice.

Schools were made aware of Health Protection Agency advice and advised about the impact of traffic disruption in the area. The council is continually monitoring the situation and is in liaison with the Met Office to keep watch on wind direction in the area.