Fire at recycling centre declared a major incident

A major incident has been declared by the fire service as it tackles a "significant fire" at a recycling centre.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called to the blaze at 01:32 BST at the Suez recycling centre on Kings Weston Lane in Avonmouth on the edge of Bristol. A large smoke plume has been seen blowing southwards.

The fire service said all personnel at the site were safely evacuated with no reported injuries and that the flames had almost been extinguished by 10:30.

Fred Stinchcombe, South West regional manager for Suez UK, said the fire had broken out at their materials recycling facility which sorts dry, mixed recycling materials from local households and businesses.

Kings Weston Lane remains closed eastwards between the A403 St Andrews Road and Long Cross.

Matthew Crovetto, Avon Fire and Rescue group manager, told BBC Radio Bristol the cause of the fire was still unknown, but the specialist investigator had now arrived at the scene.

"As yet our fire investigation hasn't started, but at this time we don't believe this is anything other than accidental," he said.

"The fire spread quite rapidly and has involved a lot of the building," he said, adding that the roof and internal structures have been "heavily damaged".

He said there were still pockets of fire throughout the building, which he described as about the size of a football pitch.

As of 10:30, the fire service said the majority of the fire had been put out, but crews remained at the scene to dampen down hot spots.

The fire service encouraged people to avoid the area, for local residents to close their windows and doors and stay inside where possible.

The entrance to the Suez site is on Merebank Road, which is near to but separate from the Avonmouth Household Reuse and Recycling Centre operated by Bristol Waste, where a fire broke out in April 2025.

Crews from Avonmouth, Patchway, Southmead, Nailsea, Temple, Pill, Portishead, Kingswood, Chew Magna, Clevedon, Bedminster, Yate, Thornbury and Weston-super-Mare have attended the incident.

Stinchcombe added: "The fire is currently ongoing, and we apologise for any disruption caused to local residents and businesses as a result.

"There are no injuries and we are thankful to Avon Fire and Rescue Service for their quick and ongoing response."

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