Tall order for firefighters as blaze hits fuel store in biomass power station

Nobody was injured in the blaze which broke out in a fuel storage area at Tilbury power station, but Chief Fire Officer David Johnson, from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS), said it was one of the most challenging fires he had dealt with in his 20-year career.

The blaze involved up to 6,000 tonnes of biomass in a wood pellet hopper high up in the power station building.

Opened in 1969, Tilbury previously operated as a coal-fired power station but has been converted to generate power from 100 per cent sustainable biomass until its scheduled closure at the end of 2015.

Biomass plants burn wood pellets, generally made from compacted sawdust or other wastes from sawmilling and other manufactured wood products.

Mr Johnson said: “The fire involves 4-6,000 tonnes of bio mass high up in the power station building. The fuel goes into vats and is taken into the plant on a conveyor belt.

“The fuel cells are designed to carry dry fuel so pouring water on to them and making them significantly heavier could potentially damage the structure of the building.

“There is an added complication that when the cells get wet, then dried by the fire, a crust will develop making it impossible for more water to penetrate the fire underneath.”

Fire crews were sent into the building to tackle the blaze using specialist high expansion foam on the burning hoppers to starve the fire of oxygen and create a safety blanket.

The fire was under control yesterday afternoon, but a spokesman said it was likely to remain a “protracted incident”.

A statement said: “Crews continue to work in arduous conditions inside the power station building – three aerial ladder platforms are in use and internal firefighting operations continue.”

Essex Fire Authority chairman Coun Anthony Hedley praised officers and firefighters. He said: “This was a particularly challenging incident and one which demonstrates to the public the breadth of appliances and equipment available to our firefighters to deliver a top flight response.”

A spokesman for RWE npower, which owns the power station, said there had been no loss of electricity supply to local homes and businesses.

“We will investigate the cause of the incident and the extent of the damage to the station but our priority in the meantime is to work with the emergency services on site.

“RWE npower has clear, well-rehearsed procedures and processes in place to deal with a situation such as this one and we would also like to thank our own staff for working to ensure the site was evacuated as quickly as possible and the station shut down in a timely and safe manner.”