Co Derry recycling company warns of service delays and disruption after overnight fire

A recycling company has warned of service delays and disruption following an overnight fire at their facility in Co Derry.

In the early hours of Friday morning, January 17, a fire was detected at RiverRidge's facility on the Craigmore Road in Coleraine. The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service confirmed 67 firefighters attended the scene overnight.

RiverRidge CEO, Brett Ross, said the fire service remain at the scene, with the cause and extent of the damage to be determined. He added that their services are ongoing, however, there may be some delays.

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He said: "At around 3am this morning (Friday 17th January) a fire was detected at our Craigmore Facility. The Northern Ireland Fire Service is currently dealing with the situation, and it is too early to assess the cause and extent of the damage.

"The fire will be the subject of an immediate and thorough investigation and both the Health and Safety Executive and Northern Ireland Environment Agency have been notified.

"Contingency plans for the company have been enacted and we have alerted key customers to assure them of our ongoing services. The collection of waste is ongoing, although there will be some disruption/delays to the likes of our skip services.

"I would like to thank the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service for their immediate response and support and apologise for any inconvenience caused to our neighbours. No one has been injured during the incident.”

Operations are ongoing in the area, with NIFRS group commander Andy Burns saying they will remain at the scene for some time. He added the fire was "significant," and has urged those living nearby to keep windows and doors closed due to a "large plume of smoke" in the surrounding area.

In a statement issued at 2.15am on Friday morning, the fire service confirmed 67 firefighters, eight pumping appliances, two aerial appliances, two water tankers, and a command support unit were at the scene.

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