Fire guts recycling plant

Fire guts recycling plant

Families near the factory were asked to leave their homes

A huge fire which gutted a recycling plant in Northampton is believed to have been started by arsonists.

At the height of the blaze, which began at 0300 BST on Friday, 65 firefighters were at the centre in Baring Road.

Twenty people living nearby were woken and asked to leave their homes for their own safety.

They were allowed to return home but some roads around the scene of the fire remained cordoned off.

The fire was still burning as dawn broke

Fire crews were still damping down at 1030 BST amid fears that cylinders stored at the factory might explode.

They expected to remain at the factory cooling the oxyacetlyene cylinders for 24 hours.

Divisional fire officer Yan Monvid, who was in charge at the scene, said it looked as though the blaze was started by fire-raisers.

"We have had a lot of problems in this area particularly with youngsters.

"When the fire was discovered there would no-one else about and it was somewhat late for an accidental fire to break out."