THE fire at a former plastic site is still burning, more than 24 hours after it started.

Firefighters remain at the site in Paterson Street, Blackburn, putting out the flames.

Around 30 homes had to be evacuated as the inferno spread across the former V10 Polymers site in the early hours of yesterday.

More than 70 firefighters battled the flames as thick, black smoke bellowed hundreds of feet into the air.

A fire service spokesman said the exact quantity of waste which was burnt by the fire is unknown, but it is believed '1000s or possibly 10,000s of tonnes' has been destroyed.

At its peak, 10 fire crews from Blackburn, Hyndburn, Darwen, Burnley, Preston and Bamber Bridge were called to the scene to help control the fire.

Firefighters pumped water from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and a section of it was isolated to avoid contaminating the area.

Paterson Street, Moseley Street and Highfield Road were closed by the police.

The smoke could be seen by morning commuters on the M65.

A fire service spokesman said: “We arrived at 3am and the fire was well developed at the building.

“There were 10 crews at the peak of the blaze but that was reduced to seven.

“There was a command unit set up and the drone was mobilised.

“Around 30 homes were evacuated as a precaution.

“We had to deal with bits of burning debris being thrown from the blaze onto nearby houses and firefighters had to make sure they did not spread.”

The blaze came just a month after more than 150 tonnes of plastic and waste caught fire at the same site.

The site was previously owned by V10 polymers until the firm went into liquidation but it was now unclear who owns it.

The fire service’s drone was used to provide an aerial perspective of the incident.

Incident intelligence officer Craig Etherington said firefighters would be returning to the site today and possibly tomorrow.

He said: “From a firefighters and public view the smoke was rising and dispersing, which was good.

“If it had been colder, the smoke could have been low-lying and we would have had to have evacuated a lot more homes in the immediate area.

“There is still lots of work here still to do.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council and the Environment Agency were present at the fire.

One wall at the site was set to be knocked down last night and six to eight homes were due to be evacuated while this took place.

The Ivy Centre, which looked after residents during the blaze, was also due to re-open last night.

Another structural assessment is due to take place today.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Our main concern was the debris going into the canal and contaminating it.

“Booms were put in place to stop the contamination spreading.

“The bits of plastic and debris could have travelled up the canal in both directions if we did not take action.”

Calls had been made to redevelop the site after the blaze in August.

A Derham Street resident said the site was a ‘nasty place’ and was infested with rats.

She said it could be turned into houses, a green space for children to play in, or a business.

Blackburn Fire Station manager Neil Hardiman asked everyone to ‘remain vigilant’ and for neighbours to alert the police or the fire service if they saw any suspicious activity at the site.

A council spokesman said people were advised to stay away from the immediate area and anyone who was experiencing breathing problems were advised to see their GP or call 111.