Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a recycling warehouse in Northamptonshire.
Black smoke was seen in the air after the fire started just before 6.30am on Friday at the Sanders Lodge industrial estate in Rushden.
Residents were asked to shut their doors and windows and the building and nearby industrial premises were evacuated.
No injuries were reported.
A number of road closures were in place and gas to the site was “isolated”, with the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) saying it was working to “mitigate any impact that could affect up to 500 properties nearby”.
The blaze involved a “large quantity of plastic at the premises”, the NFRS said.
A service spokesperson said 12 fire engines were at the scene, as well as three aerial appliances, two water bowsers and a high-volume pump.
Area manager Mick Berry said: “This is a large fire that is having a significant impact on the Sanders Lodge industrial estate in Rushden.
“A multi-agency decision has been taken to declare a major incident, but fire crews are working extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading and reduce the smoke plume.
“We would urge people to stay away from the site while emergency services deal with this incident and ask nearby residents to close windows and doors due to the large amount of smoke issuing from the site.
“We anticipate that we will be on scene over the rest of the weekend.”
