STAFF were evacuated from a recycling centre after a fire outside got out of control.

Thick black smoke filled the air above SUK Waste Management in Blackburn, and could be seen for several miles after plastic caught fire at 4pm on Saturday.

Police got workers out of the Pump Street business and helped a man who tried to put the fire out himself. Paramedics treated him at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Two fire crews were called as the fire quickly took hold. It damaged a quantity of recycling and a section of guttering.

One onlooker said: “The smoke was just incredible. It was so thick it wasn’t clear where it was coming from. When I called my girlfriend she said she had been able to see the smoke from across the town centre.”

Police closed the road while firefighters tackled the blaze for around an hour.

Blackburn Fire Station crew manager Jonny Ashton said: “It had become established in just a few minutes and due to the nature of the plastic which caught fire, it created a very thick, acrid black smoke. The smell was extremely strong and it could be seen from most places in Blackburn. It was a large fire on arrival and quite a difficult fire to deal with but due to the early response, it affected mainly the exterior.

“Staff were out of the building on arrival as the police had evacuated the building.

“There had been some burning off at the property in the back yard which had got out of control.”