Firefighters have issued a reminder of their lithium battery safety advice following a fire at a recycling site on High Road, Ilford.
An industrial refuse compactor and around three tonnes of recycling material were destroyed by the fire. Around 20 metres of fencing and trees were damaged by the fire. There are no reports of any injuries.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and was caused by a damaged lithium-ion battery in a refuse pile.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "Lithium-ion batteries and electricals with hidden lithium-ion batteries should not be placed in the same bins as your regular rubbish or recycling. Instead, check with the retailer or your local authority's website for the safest way to dispose of lithium-ion batteries in your area and reduce the risk of fires occurring.
"Lithium-ion battery fires are a major risk. We’ve seen a growing number of fires at waste disposal sites that are believed to have been caused by a lithium battery.
"Although lithium-ion battery products that have been built to a poor standard are a higher fire risk, any battery is at risk of exploding and catching fire if it has been crushed or becomes damaged. Lithium-ion battery fires can be ferocious and can spread in seconds.
"Fires that we attend at sites like recycling centres and scrap yards can be very time consuming for our firefighters and often require a high level of resources to put the fire out. We’ve also seen the detrimental environmental and societal impact these fires can have on local communities."
The Brigade's Control Officers took the first of 10 calls at 1611 and mobilised four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Ilford, Hainault, Dagenham and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 1753.