The black smoke appeared at 10:45 in the morning and at 20:00 in the morning, the firefighters managed to quell the flames. In the meantime, concern had spread among the inhabitants of the area, since many neighbourhoods in London saw the smoky humareds emanating from the Croydon incinerator. Firefighters have pointed out that they have received calls from many citizens and that four trucks and 25 companions have been displaced to the site, as the emergency equipment the incinerator must have was not able to control the accident.

The company Viridor says that the fire has not affected the furnace of the new incinerator, but it is true that the waste warehouse and the furnaces are united in the same building. Viridor is a branch of the French multinational Veolia, which specialises in private public service contracts. The Croydon incinerator, which theoretically had to function normally by 2018, has not worked normally and is in the testing phase. The incinerator, which has to burn 275,000 tonnes per year in theory of non-recyclable waste – in fact, mixing non-separate waste – has officially cost more than GBP 200 million and many citizens have been mobilised from the outset against it.

The company has said that the flames have been ignited by the fire of lithium batteries that come into the trash and has asked the citizens not to put them in the trash bags, with numerous mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices.

There are many media outlets that have given the news, but most of the details are dedicated to two local media: Inside Croydon and Your Local Guardian The coordinator Stop the South London Incinerator is responsible for bringing together the movement against the Zubieta incinerator in Bilbao.