An investigation has been launched into the cause of a fire that badly damaged a recycling plant in Dundee.

Over 30 firefighters from Tayside Fire and Rescue Service were called to Dundee Energy Recycling Ltd’s (DERL) waste-to-energy recycling plant after control room staff watching CCTV cameras spotted a fire break out in the incinerator, early on Wednesday morning. There were no reported injuries and the building was believed to be unoccupied at the time.

Station Commander at Tayside Fire and Rescue, Bruce Farquharson said: “On arrival the fire, involving a large quantity of waste materials, was developing inside a waste storage and sorting room and was spreading through the conveyor and ducting system… At the peak of the incident, over 30 fire-fighters were deployed using breathing apparatus with three jets and the aerial platform deployed as an observation point.” Farquharson went on to explain that the cause of the fire is not yet known and an investigation will now be undertaken to determine the cause.

The plant, which deals with all of Dundee city’s refuse, is expected to be closed for several weeks as 350 tonnes of waste are removed from the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) store in which the fire started. The city’s waste will be temporarily diverted to alternative facilities whilst the plant is closed.

Alan Jones, DERL Managing Director, said: “We cannot praise Tayside Fire and Rescue enough for the professional and effective way they have worked in conjunction with our own teams to bring this incident swiftly under control.”

This is the fifth fire to hit the plant in five years. Last June a fire broke out in the transfer station only 10 months after a blaze damaged the hydraulic systems after an oil leak. An investigation was also launched in 2006 after two separate fires started in January and October, the latter of which damaged the same storeroom that was affected in this most recent fire.

The plant, which opened in 1999, employs 45 staff and processes around 80,000 tonnes of waste in a year.