5,000 tonnes of scrap metal alight, fire crews say

A plume of smoke billowing from a scrap yard fire in Northfleet

Fire crews tackling a blaze at a scrap yard which broke out in the early hours of the morning say about 5,000 tonnes of metal is currently alight.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) said it was called to the London Scrap Terminal in Northfleet Mill in Crete Hall Road in Gravesend shortly after 02:00 BST on Monday.

Three fire engines were initially sent to the scene before the incident was escalated to six pumps at 05:30.

A spokesperson for the fire service urged residents as far as Gravesend town centre to close their windows and doors to guard against the heavy smoke.

Flames from the fire at its height

Scott Jones, of KFRS, said: "It's a fairly substantial fire but we are concentrating our best efforts to get it resolved as quickly and safely as possible.

"It's a challenging incident. The issues are getting the water onto the fire itself and extinguishing it quickly so it doesn't spread to other stacks of scrap metal materials."

The cause of the fire is currently unknown, Mr Jones added.

About 35 firefighters are currently on scene, with the fire service adding that they would be at the scrap yard for the next 48 hours.