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Firefighters put out blaze at recycling plant

BBC The image is a still from drone footage above the site of the fire. There is a blaze with a significant amount of grey smoke in the centre of a large, fenced yard. It's surround by a lot of scrap metal and machinery. Outside, the yard is surround by green fields. BBC
Hundreds of tonnes of scrap metal sits on the site just outside Londonderry

A large fire at a recycling plant outside Londonderry has been put out by firefighters.

Emergency services were called just before 15:00 BST on Monday to the fire on Clooney Road.

Six fire engines and more than 50 firefighters were sent to the blaze and it was extinguished by 23:40 BST.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) believe the fire, at a site containing about 700 to 800 tonnes of scrap metal, started accidentally.

A fire can be seen in the distance across a steel metal fence, with twin electricity poles in the middle distance. There is a large smoke cloud and in the foreground extensive vegetation can be seen.

Police advised local residents and business owners to close their windows and doors during the fire due to "a substantial amount of smoke in the air".

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, NIFRS group commander Clive Lowry said the release of harmful chemicals produced when metal burns could harm the environment.

"From those metal fires, there can be toxins and that smoke plume was a concern to us."

Measures are being considered to limit environmental fallout, said Lowry.

"We had some meetings there this morning (Tuesday) just to mitigate any environmental damage due to water run-off."

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