Quicklime spill at factory in Burton

A chemical spill at an animal feed plant in Burton led to workers being evacuated and local residents being told to stay indoors.

A system failure at the plant released a large quantity of quicklime, which gave off noxious fumes. The incident at the Rumenco plant was described as a critical incident by police and alongside six fire engines and a number of ambulances, the Midlands Air Ambulance were also scrambled.

The spill at the plant is the second involving quicklime in the past few years.

A number of people were checked over by the ambulance crews at the scene as a precautionary measure but did not have to visit hospital. The hazardous materials officer with the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Phil McFarlane, stated:

“The process of how much calcium oxide goes into the system has failed and more has gone in than was needed, which has caused the heat and fumes.”

The chief fire officer from Staffordshire Peter Dartford stated:

“It’s a serious incident but something we train for and something that is planned for. We’ve had incidents here in the past so the crews are well aware of the risks and of how to make the appropriate arrangements.”

Fire fighters discussed the spill clean-up operation with factory staff before letting them back into the site.