Firefighters issue advice following quarry blaze

A fire in a quarry in Staffordshire has been deemed accidental following an investigation.

On Sunday 4 August, a number of crews attended Walleys Quarry in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

At the height of the incident there were six engines, a water carrier and a high-volume pump being used to tackle the fire.

While it is difficult to determine the full cause of the fire, our investigation has found that it was likely caused accidentally as a result of a battery fire.

Fire Investigator, Liam Hickey said: “The rise in the number of electrical items containing lithium-ion batteries brings significant fire risk if they are discarded at waste sites instead of being recycled.

“When damaged, the batteries can be dangerous to the public, waste operators and firefighters as they cause fires that are challenging to tackle."

Lithium-ion batteries are found inside many everyday household items, including laptops, mobile phones and tablets.