IT IS possible a small item could have initiated the large blaze at the Hafod Landfill Site, owners say.

The Leader previously reported that fire crews were called to a large blaze at the landfill site in Johnstown on May 27.

Nearby residents were asked to keep their windows and doors closed until it was safe to do so as huge billows of smoke could be seen for miles.

The site is regulated by Natural Resources Wales and owned by Enovert, who launched an investigation into the possible cause.

Enovert has confirmed that the fire is now fully extinguished and was bought under control, thanks to the combined efforts of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Enovert’s site operational staff.

The owners confirmed that the site, which only accepts non-hazardous wastes, had experienced a surface fire on the edge of the disposal area. An investigation by the company into the possible cause has not been able to identify the source of ignition.

Mark Silvester, CEO of Enovert, said that whilst wastes arriving at the site are visually inspected, it’s possible that a small item, such as a lithium battery or hot ashes from a barbecue, could have been deposited and initiated the fire.

He added: "Enovert offer our apologies for this unplanned event, we have provided an action plan to NRW addressing how the site will recommence normal disposal operations in a safe and compliant manner.

"I would again thank the NWFRS for attending the incident and reassure local residents that this fire was an isolated incident, and we have reviewed our control measures to ensure the Hafod site has all necessary resilience to prevent a re-occurrence."

Enovert will be contacting all customers of the site to reiterate how important it is to ensure such items are removed from the waste stream before arrival at the landfill site.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) visited the site during and after the incident. Specialist air quality monitoring equipment was deployed which monitored the local air quality from the evening of May 28.

The site reopened on June 4 to accept a limited number of pre-agreed waste streams and is expected to be fully operational from next week. Waste will be placed in an area well away from that affected by the fire.