Employees worked tirelessly throughout the night to combat a fire ignited by a lightning strike, which resulted in a significant gas explosion at a food waste recycling plant. This incident occurred at the Severn Trent Green Power site in Cassington, Oxfordshire, at 7 p.m. on Monday, causing the tank to explode.
Witnesses reported seeing a massive fireball illuminating the night sky. Despite the fire now being contained, the fire service has confirmed that emergency services are still present at the location. Severn Trent Green Power Limited, the operator, expressed their gratitude to emergency responders and stated their relief that no injuries were reported. The waste management company is currently evaluating the level of damage and cautions against visiting the site.
Out of the 5 tanks that were at the facility, 3 of them were damaged. Firefighters, from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, worked tirelessly all night to bring the fire under control. At its highest point, there were 40 firefighters distributed among six fire engines, along with police and multiple ambulances, sent to the plant.
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The Cassington AD plant is specialized in processing commercial food waste, handling over 50,000 tons of solid and liquid waste annually. It is acknowledged for generating 2.1 megawatts of electricity and producing biofertilizers. The company highlights that it has a contract with the local government.
The nearby main A40 road was temporarily closed by Thames Valley Police as a precaution. Local people were advised to stay indoors and windows and doors were sealed. However, the road has now been reopened and restrictions on people have been lifted.
There were also reports of house lights flickering and power outages in Witney, Burford, Chipping Norton, and Milton-under-Wychwood when the lightning strike occurred. According to Severn Trent Green Power, the local power company attributed the cause of these incidents to weather-related factors rather than their location. On Monday afternoon, thunderstorms emerged in south-central England and moved northeast before dissipating late in the evening, approximately 1,400 lightning strikes were recorded across southern England.
A similar event took place in 2016 when a lightning strike ignited methane gas stored in a waste digester operated by Agrivert near Wallingford, Oxfordshire. This resulted in a 20-minute fire and the destruction of the facility's roof.
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