Fire crews tackle aluminium blaze

Roads around the aluminium smelter were closed after the blaze broke out

An investigation has begun into the cause of a blaze at an aluminium plant near Holyhead, Anglesey.

Roads around Anglesey Aluminium were closed after flames were spotted in an electricity substation on Thursday evening.

The North Wales Fire Service said the fire was in a 132 kilovolt transformer supplying the works with power.

No injuries were reported. Site managers said a smelter was still working at reduced capacity on Friday.

Emergency services shut roads in the area after smoke began drifting across the A55 and could be seen by people in Holyhead.

At one stage, it was feared up to 40,000 litres of transformer oil could be burning.

Five fire engines and one foam carrier from Caernarfon were used to contain the blaze. The fire began at around 1930 BST and was said to be out by 2245 BST.

Anglesey Aluminium said the incident resulted in a loss of power across the smelter, which was still operating at reduced capacity.

Staff are working to restore operational stability.

A spokesman, who thanked both emergency services and workers, said: "This incident and overall impact is under investigation and it is not yet clear how long it will take to restore production capacity."

The site is one of the largest employers in north Wales, with around 540 staff, and produces aluminium using an electrolyte process which requires large quantities of electricity.

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