On July 6, 2024, a fire broke out in the early hours at a large waste processing unit on Tipner Lane in Portsmouth, involving 117 tonnes of domestic waste material. Crews labored tirelessly from Saturday evening through most of Sunday to contain and manage the incident.
Strong winds created dense smoke across a section of the M275 near Tipner Lane, severely limiting visibility and posing a hazard to motorists. Consequently, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary took the precautionary step of temporarily closing the motorway until conditions improved.
We recognise that the necessary temporary road closures caused inconvenience for many people over the weekend and we thank people for their patience while we dealt with this challenging incident.
We utilised the site’s proximity to pump seawater for firefighting. Multiple fire appliances were deployed to the scene which was instrumental in gaining control over the fire. As part of our environmental protection strategy, we implemented measures to prevent water runoff from reaching the sea.
We sincerely thank our partners at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Portsmouth City Council, National Highways, TJ Waste and Recycling teams for their invaluable support during the operation. Special recognition is extended to HANTSAR for their steadfast assistance throughout this challenging incident.
The most probable cause is lithium batteries
Safety message:
- Avoid storing, using, or charging batteries at very high or low temperatures
- Do not use if the product or battery appears physically damaged
- If a battery is not holding charge, gets hot, bulges or you hear hissing noises – unplug immediately
- Check with your local bin collection service as to how to safely dispose of batteries.
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Update 17:06, 7 July 2024 – Stop Message received – The M275 is now open in all directions.
Update 14:05, 7 July 2024 – National Highways South-East have released a statement, “The northbound #M275 has reopened, however the southbound remains closed between the M27 J12 and J2″, on a later post it was mentioned that the Southbound motorway will be opening shortly, and they ask motorists to follow https://nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates/travel-alerts/ for further updates.
A spokesperson for TJ Waste & Recycling said, today at 11:00am:
“We are deeply appreciative of the work done by crews from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue and their control room. We also express our thanks to the police and city council for arranging road diversions due to the closure of the M275 for safety reasons due to the smoke. We also extend our gratitude to the public for their understanding and patience over the weekend during this unprecedented incident. TJ staff are on site, assisting firefighters in dampening the fire within the building with the use of our plant and equipment. As yet, the cause of the fire is not known. However, there is an increasing trend of lithium batteries being discarded incorrectly by users. The batteries, which charge electrical devices such as mobile phones, vapes and e-bikes, can be explosive and, due to ‘thermal runaway’, cannot be extinguished easily because the heat is so ferocious. It is important that the Tipner site is operational as soon as possible because the materials recovering facility, where a large amount of commercial and domestic waste is sorted and recycled, is a vital part of the regional resource and waste management supply chain.”
Update 11:00, 7 July 2024 – Following a statement issued by our colleagues Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary this morning, the M275 will remain closed for the majority of the day. The fire which began in the early hours of yesterday morning (6 July, 2024) in a large waste processing unit consisting of 2 floors, containing 117 tonnes of domestic waste material, was completely consumed by the fire. A high volume pumping unit, with the assistance of high pressure jets, positive pressure ventilation systems and polybooms are being utilised. Teams remain on site spreading the smouldering waste material and continue to monitor the incident.
Update 20:00, 6 July 2024 – Our crews are making good progress as the smoke plume is reducing, but the M275 will remain closed for the evening. The fire began in the early hours of this morning (6 July, 2024) in a large waste processing unit consisting of 2 floors, containing 117 tonnes of domestic waste material. A high volume pumping unit is utilising sea water, with the assistance of an appliance and two monitors. Crews will remain on scene and monitor over night.
Update 14:00, 6 July 2024 – A spokesperson for TJ Waste & Recycling said: “We are grateful to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue for attendance following reports from the public of smoke coming from our Portsmouth materials recovery facility at Tipner in the early hours of this morning. Thankfully there were no TJ staff on site. The seat of the fire, which has damaged the building, was in a sorting bay of non-hazardous domestic and commercial waste materials. The facility will be closed until further notice – we will be advising customers of the situation. This is the first time anything like this has happened here and we apologise for the disruption caused to the public following closure of the motorway for safety reasons.”
Our crews remain on site with 6 fire engines, 2 aerial ladders and 3 water carriers. The M275 is currently still closed in all directions, due to the large amount of smoke travelling across the motorway, with a scheduled reopening at 5pm toady (Saturday, 6 July).
Update 10:30, 6 July 2024 – There is still a large amount of smoke travelling across the M275 by Tipner Lane, Portsmouth. We ask that motorists be vigilant, and where possible avoid the area. A number of crews from across Hampshire are tackling a fire in a large waste processing unit consisting of 2 floors, with approx 60 to 100 tonnes of domestic dry waste. Please close windows and doors.
Update 07:42, 6 July 2024 – A number of crews from across Hampshire are tackling a fire in a large waste processing unit consisting of 2 floors, with approx 60 to 100 tonnes of domestic dry waste. There is a large amount of smoke travelling across the M275, which has now been closed by our colleagues, Hampshire Roads Policing Unit we ask that motorists be vigilant, and where possible avoid the area. Please close windows and doors.
06:30, 6 July 2024 – Around 40 Firefighters are currently on the scene of a large fire in a waste processing unit in Tipner Lane, Portsmouth. Teams are working closely with police. There is a large amount of smoke travelling across the M275, we ask that motorists be vigilant, and where possible avoid the area.
