A “discarded battery” has been linked to the cause of a huge fire which broke out on an industrial site.
Firefighters spent hours battling the blaze on Friday (July 11) at the Viridor recycling centre in Clipper Close on the Medway City Estate in Strood.
It is understood to have begun at around 5.50am with four engines initially called out to the scene.
Thick, black smoke could be seen coming from the building for miles around, with plumes spotted as far as parts of Gravesend and Hoo.
Clipper Close was cordoned off and nearby residents and businesses were told to shut windows and doors.
A spokesperson for Viridoor had told KentOnline at the time all colleagues were safe and accounted for, and thanked the fire service for their “swift support”.
They added: “There are no further details available as to cause or damage sustained at the moment, but we will update as further information becomes available.”
After twelve hours of crews tackling the fire and checking for hotspots, it was put out at around 9pm.
Operations at the recycling centre resumed on Saturday (July 12).
Today (July 15), the fire service said the blaze is believed to have started accidentally and has been linked to a discarded battery.
KentOnline has approached Viridor for comment and asked about the extent of the damage caused.
Businesses nearby, including Als and Sals Café in Sir Thomas Longley Road and Macplas Limited in Neptune Close, were unaffected by the fire and had continued working as usual on Friday.
Some commuters travelling on the High Speed rail link at the riverside town reported seeing the smoke from afar.
Hollie David saw the smoke billowing when she arrived at Rainham railway station earlier in the morning and said: “It felt so dystopian and quite scary.
“I boarded the high-speed train to London St Pancras, and as we pulled into Rochester station, the smoke was so much worse.”
Ryan Arnolds was driving his partner to work when they saw “black smoke erupting into the air” as they came past the Medway Tunnel.
Speaking at the scene, he added: “I was a bit concerned, because I did not really know what was going on.
“It was probably about an hour and 20 minutes journey, and still the smoke just has not cleared whatsoever.”
Joe Sharpe said he could see the incident from his home in Hoo, but has been told by a friend who works on cranes that the smoke can be seen from as far as Shoreditch in London.
He added: “I woke up to get ready for my day at around 6am, and I went into the garden and could see this smoke up into the sky.
“I instantly thought it would be an industrial fire as there was so much smoke going in the sky, and I hoped everyone would be OK.
“It has created a massive shadow across the Medway towns.”
Photos suggest the smoke could be seen from as far out as Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex.
