‘Apocalyptic’ fire rages over night in UK town as residents told to stay indoors

Locals awoke to plumes of smoke in the sky

The incident caused a large response from emergency services with police at the scene this morning.

Fire crews and police officers were called to the scene after alarms were heard yesterday evening.

People living near the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot were asked to stay indoors by authorities after a large fire broke out at the facility.

The BBC report that the blaze started at one of the site's processing lines around 20:00 BST on Wednesday (3 June) with emergency services being called to the scene soon after.

Tata Steel confirmed that staff had been safely evacuated.

As per Wales Online, South Wales Police have said emergency services remain at the scene in Port Talbot, and were working to manage the incident.

One witness, Kellie Evans, who was driving along the road near the fire, told the BBC that the scene was "very apocalyptic".

She said she "couldn't see the flames because the sky was so black".

The steelworks in Port Talbot. Credit: Getty.

A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: "Emergency services are currently dealing with an incident at Tata Steel, Port Talbot. Large plumes of smoke are visible in the area.

"Residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed. Please avoid the area and use alternative routes where possible. Thank you for your patience."

While not believed to be linked to the fire, it was reported by The Mirror that Tata Steel carried out a controlled demolition of a gas holder at the Port Talbot site earlier on Wednesday evening.

The company said this procedure was carried out safely, although residents did say that their homes "shook" when the explosion was carried out.

Shortly after the demolition, the company said: "People working and living in the Port Talbot area may have just heard a loud noise emanating from the Port Talbot steelworks.

"This was the result of the planned demolition of the empty, redundant coke ovens gas holder, which has been completed safely as part of the ongoing engineering works on the site. The gas holder ceased operation with the closure of the site’s heavy-end in September 2024.

"This demolition was required to make space for future raw materials handling areas for the new three million tonne per year capacity electric arc furnace.

"Our thanks goes to the whole team involved from Tata Steel and our contractor partners Thompson of Prudhoe and PDC, in what was a complex programme of work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."