A waste transfer station in Inverness was back to business-as-usual yesterday less than 24 hours after several tonnes of garden refuse caught fire.
People were warned to avoid smoke from the fire on Tuesday night amid fears that the toxic fumes were spewing out from the premises.
But the gates of Inverness Transfer Station in the city’s Henderson Drive were open again yesterday afternoon and a workman confirmed that the facility was reopened at 8pm.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus had fought their way inside the building the night before and used water pumps to quell the flames before an on-site digger was used to remove the smouldering rubbish.
Huge quantities of smoke escaped from the warehouse doors each time the digger moved in and out of the building to scatter piles of waste for the firefighters to tackle.
Water interceptor tanks at the warehouse were used to stop any hazardous run-off from escaping and contaminating the surrounding area.
Two fire engines and a water carrier were called to the scene shortly before 6pm on Tuesday night. A fire service spokeswoman confirmed that one was hurt during the fire.
The station, which is owned by SITA UK, collects council and other refuse to be transported to landfill or for recycling.
Yesterday a workman at the site said: “All of the waste was cleared up by 8am this morning and we have been open since then.”