Published: Tuesday 20th September 2016 | 4.29pm
A public meeting took place at Rugeley Fire Station last night to reassure residents about the fire at Oak Farm.
Officers from leading agencies – Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Public Health England, Cannock Chase Council, Staffordshire County Council and the Environment Agency attended to answer questions from concerned residents about the fire and its current position.
A key issued raised was around the type of waste material burning as local residents were speculating that asbestos waste was present. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service can now confirm today that asbestos has been found on the site.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber said: “We can confirm that a small amount of boarding was found at the site and tests have identified it as cement asbestos boarding. We are currently reviewing operational tactics and we will continue to work closely with our partners at Public Health England and the Environment Agency to monitor and assess the situation.”
Cannock Chase Council in conjunction with Staffordshire County Council are engaging the services of a specialist asbestos consultants to undertake monitoring at the site perimeter, which will give an indication of the worse case scenario in relation to the presence of asbestos in the smoke.
Following the discovery Public Health England (PHE) has carried out an early public health risk assessment of the situation.
Dr David Kirrage, Deputy Director, Health Protection at PHE West Midlands said: “Our experience from similar fires suggests that the likely public exposure from the Oak Farm fire will be very low and asbestos fibres are unlikely to be readily released into the smoke plume from asbestos containing material. This is particularly the case for asbestos cement which is the type of asbestos discovered at Oak Tree Farm but also applies to other types of asbestos containing material.
Dr Kirrage added: “It is also important for local residents to know that the fire is of relatively low intensity, which would also tend to limit the amount of fibers released into the atmosphere. It is also likely the material is damped as a consequence of firefighting activities. If there was a significant amount of asbestos containing material discovered most of the risk to human health would be restricted to the immediate surrounding area where specialist clean-up operations would be required to safely dispose of the material.”
Staffordshire County Council have confirmed that schools in both Rugeley and Hednesford have been sent Public Health England (PHE) information. No schools have been advised to close.