Lithium-ion battery likely cause of Workington scrapyard fire

A lithium-ion battery was the likely cause of a fire at a Workington scrapyard.

Firefighters spent over four hours tackling a blaze at Mossbay Metals, on Snape Road on Tuesday, June 30.

Crews were called at around 11.50am.

Fire engines from Workington, Whitehaven, Keswick, Cockermouth and Aspatria fire stations attended plus a water bowser from Maryport, aerial ladder platform from Carlisle East, and three station managers attended.

Solway Road was closed as a result.

Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service said: “Following the safe conclusion of the incident, initial observations from our crew and staff at the premises suggest that the most likely cause of the fire was a lithium-ion battery.

“This incident serves as a reminder of the risks of serious, fast-spreading fires associated with lithium-ion batteries – if you have devices which contain these batteries at home, such as smartphones, vapes, or ebikes, please follow manufacturer’s instructions.”