Discarded vape battery caused 450-tonne cardboard fire in Widnes

A large blaze involving about 450 tonnes of cardboard, where huge plumes of smoke could be seen for miles around, is thought to have been caused by a disposable vape battery, fire investigators have said.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze at a recycling facility in Widnes, which "spread rapidly", was "believed to have been caused accidentally by a damaged lithium-ion battery".

It said this was "most likely from a disposable vape that had been incorrectly disposed of".

Nobody was injured in the fire, which was attended by 25 engines from Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, and declared a major incident.

A Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "It is thought that the damaged battery entered thermal runaway, generating intense heat which ignited cardboard within a pile of waste awaiting recycling.

"Driven by strong winds, the fire spread rapidly, resulting in multiple separate areas of the waste stockpile becoming involved."

She said the incident highlighted "the importance of disposing of vapes and other lithium-ion battery-powered items correctly", and warned that damaged batteries "can pose a significant fire risk if placed in general waste or recycling".

Due to the risk of the building collapsing, firefighters tackled the blaze from the outside and worked overnight to extinguish the fire.