A severe blaze has broken out at Tilbury power station, on the Thames estuary in Essex, UK, and has triggered a secondary fire on a nearby dockside.
The fire began just before 08:00 GMT and quickly engulfed the building in smoke. Over 100 firefighters are now (10.30 am GMT, 27 February) battleing to bring the blaze under control.
The fire is in an area containing 2100 tonnes of wood pellets, a fuel store for the plant which was built as a coal firing unit but has recently been converted to biomass burning. Compressed wood pellets made from waste sawdust and other residues are frequently used in plants like Tilbury.
RWE npower, which owns the plant, said: "A fire broke out at 07:45 GMT in a fuel storage area at the station. All our employees have been accounted for." No first cause for the blaze has yet suggested itself, but the implications for biomass plants in general could be far-reaching.
About 100 Essex firefighters are tackling the blaze in a pellet handling area but extra crews have been called in from London and further afield as flames have triggered another blaze in a wood pile on a nearby dockside.
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