Firefighters tackle abandoned lorry trailer fire on A41 near Bletchley

Firefighters tackled a significant blaze involving an abandoned large goods vehicle (LGV) trailer on the A41 near Bletchley last night.

The incident, which occurred at approximately 9.52 pm on Wednesday, resulted in the closure of the major road in both directions.

Crews from Market Drayton and Hodnet Retained Fire Stations were the first to be mobilised to the scene, along with an operations officer from fire headquarters. Upon arrival, they were confronted with a "fully developed fire" engulfing the trailer, which was parked in a lay-by and contained a large quantity of baled waste material.

Wearing breathing apparatus, four firefighters immediately began fighting the flames using two high-pressure hose reel jets. Due to the intensity and scale of the fire, the incident commander quickly requested additional water resources, prompting the mobilisation of a third fire appliance from Prees Fire Service.

To ensure the safety of the public and allow firefighters to work effectively, West Mercia Police were called to the scene to implement a full road closure on the A41.

Firefighters successfully brought the fire under control approximately one hour after their arrival. However, a crew remained on site throughout the night to dampen down the area and monitor for any remaining hotspots. The A41 was reopened to traffic once it was deemed safe to do so.

Concerns have been raised regarding the abandoned nature of the trailer and its contents, with the potential for hazardous materials to be present within the waste. As a result, the Environment Agency has been requested to attend the scene to assist with the safe removal of the trailer and its contents.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident, and authorities have confirmed that there was no contamination of local water courses due to water runoff from the firefighting efforts.

The cause of the fire is currently being treated as arson, and West Mercia Police will be conducting further investigations into the incident to identify those responsible.