RESIDENTS in Cinderford were told to keep their windows and doors shut on Monday (April 4) as plumes of black smoke filled the skies after a fire broke out at a yard on the industrial estate.

Fire crews were called into action at just before 4pm after receiving reports that a large fire had started at “a building merchants” near Cinderford, which is understood locally to be the Rothdean trailer yard on Forest Vale Road.

The trails of black smoke could be seen across Cinderford and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) had to issue a warning to residents to take precautions to stop the smoke from entering their homes.

Four fire engines from Cinderford, Coleford and Lydney attended the scene and worked until 8pm that evening to extinguish a pile of tyres and rubbish, which a GFRS spokesperson said was “well alight”.

The fire service said investigations into the cause of the fire were “ongoing”, but reports later on Monday evening said GFRS had confirmed that no one had been hurt during the incident.

GFRS advised residents in a Twitter post at around 5.20pm on Monday: “We would ask that residents in the nearby area keep windows and doors shut whilst we extinguish the fire.”

Locals posted photos to the Cinderford Noticeboard Facebook page of a huge cloud of black smoke emanating from the yard.

Some said they could see the smoke from The Triangle in the town centre, which was confirmed by photos taken on the High Street.

Another user posted a video of the fire on the ground inside the yard and the relentless trail of thick smoke drifting towards the town centre.

GFRS also posted a photo on Twitter which shows flames rising from a pile of tyres covering a large area, with several trees bearing the brunt of the blaze.