Tilbury power station biofuel section on fire 27 February 2012

Around 100 Firefighters are attending what's being described as a severe fire at Tilbury Power Station, which was reported at 7.45am and started in a fuel storage area.

The Power Station has confirmed that all of employees have been accounted for and have not sustained any injuries.

Latest news from chief fire officer David Johnson (12.35pm today 27 February 2012) is that crews are now in the building tackling the fire, using a specialist high expansion foam on the burning hoppers with the aim of starving the fire of oxygen and creating a safety blanket.

"It has taken us some time to establish that the structure of the building is safe enough for us to commit crews," states Johnson. "But firefighters in breathing apparatus are now inside the building."

And he continues: "We are using high expansion foam, because it's light and will not affect the weight of the hoppers carrying dry pellets of wood, like water would. Once we have covered the fire in a blanket of foam, the idea is that the fire will burn itself out.

"We have worked closely with power station staff to establish the best tactics to get the fire out quickly while making sure our crews are protected. The staff have been able to give us the technical information we need, along with plans of the site to ensure our first attack was as successful as it could be. We expect the fire to be out within the next two to three hours if everything goes according to plan."

Ealier, Johnson explained that the fire was in a wood pellet hopper containing 2,100 tonnes of machinery and conveyance system, and was proving to be one of the most challenging fires he had had to deal with in his 20-year career because of the technical complexities.

"The fire involves 4—6,000 tonnes of bio mass high up in the power station building. The fuel goes into vats and is taken into the plant on a conveyor belt," he explained.

"The fuel cells are designed to carry dry fuel, so pouring water onto them and making them significantly heavier could potentially damage the structure of the building. There is an added complication that when the cells get wet, then dried by the fire, a crust will develop making it impossible for more water to penetrate the fire underneath. That's why we are looking to use foam.

"We have had to isolate several high voltage power cables affected by the fire."

Staff reporter

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