Fire crews tackle wood plant blaze for third day

Fire crews are continuing to tackle a large blaze at a North Yorkshire wood recycling plant for a third day.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service was called to reports of a fire at the Seras facility on Heck and Pollington Lane, near Great Heck, at 23:41 BST on Tuesday.

The service said a number of fire engines and crews remained at the scene, and were expected to stay there throughout the day.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, however it is not currently believed to be suspicious.

"Our crews have been working really hard throughout the night to try and bring the fire under control," said station manager Mark Sykes.

"There is still a lot of smoke in the local area, so if you are a resident or a business owner, please keep windows and doors closed until further notice.

"There are some road closures in place, and we are working really hard to get those open as soon as possible.

"Please keep checking back on our social media sites for further updates."

Roads affected include Long Lane, and Heck and Pollington Lane.

Seras, a biomass fuel supplier and waste wood management company, said it would investigate the cause once it had received the "all-clear" from the fire service.

The company said fires at storage sites were a "serious issue for the UK waste wood recycling industry and wider waste sector".

A spokesperson said: "Recent figures from the Environmental Services Association 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."

The fire service said it wanted to thank local residents for their patience and understanding while they continued to deal with the incident.

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