Updated: 12.40pm
RESIDENTS IN THE vicinity of the Panda recycling plant are being told to keep their windows and doors closed following a fire which is still smouldering at the centre.
Meath County Council has also recommended that people should stay indoors where possible, as the fire may take several more days to extinguish.
The blaze broke out at around 11.30pm on Wednesday night at Beauparc in Co. Meath, on the N2 about seven kilometres south of Slane. Eight units of the fire service battled to bring it under control. Smoke continues to cause dangerous driving conditions for a time and residents have reported falling ash in the area.
Olive Falsey from Meath County Council told TheJournal.ie that four units of the fire brigade remained at the scene overnight, and it’s likely that they will be there over the weekend.
She said the fire is still burning but it is controlled. The nature of the compacted waste stored in the processing shed where the blaze broke out means extinguishing it completely is difficult.
Falsey is assuring local residents that there are no concerns that the water supply may become contaminated as the run off water from the site has been contained and several water courses have been closed off as a precaution. Air and water quality monitoring is ongoing.
A traffic light system has been put in place on the N2 in the area due to dangerous driving conditions and traffic has been reduced to a single lane. Meath County Council has advised that visibility in the area can change quickly and so are urging drivers to be extremely cautious.
Panda has said that there was no toxic waste present in the shed where the fire took hold. The blaze has had no effect on customer collections with the overflow being dealt with at Panda’s other centres. The company has thanked the fire service and the Gardaí for their efforts.
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