Firefighters remain at scene of Kilwinning battery plant blaze

Firefighters have worked through the night to continue to dampen down a blaze at a battery recycling plant in North Ayrshire.

The fire at Byrehill Industrial Estate in Kilwinning broke out at 12:40 on Wednesday – a year after another fire at the site.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent six fire engines to tackle the blaze at Fenix Battery Recycling. One remained at the scene on Thursday morning.

Police Scotland said there were no casualties, but several houses in the area were evacuated as a precaution.

A cordon is in place around the site and some surrounding roads are still closed.

People living in the area have are being advised to be keep windows, doors and vents closed, and not to pick up any batteries or debris.

About 40 firefighters were dispatched to tackle the blaze at its peak.

Union leaders said they were concerned about the impact of exposure to fumes.

Huge plumes of smoke were seen billowing from Fenix Battery Recycling, exactly a year after another fire at the site which raged for two days.

Last September, environment agency Sepa revoked the firm’s waste management licence as part of an “enhanced package of enforcement action”.

It was required to remove any waste that breached the licence to another facility.

The enforcement action meant Fenix has to meet guidelines by June, including removing fire debris, repairing damaged infrastructure and implementing a fire prevention and mitigation plan.

Sepa said its officers had attended the site “to take samples from nearby watercourses, and would continue to monitor the situation closely”.