Crews from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service are continuing to tackle a fire at a tyre recycling yard in St Erth this evening.

Firefighters were initially called to the scene at around 8pm last night, after reports of a large fire with thick black smoke coming from the site.

The first crews from St Ives and Hayle were then joined by fire appliances from across Cornwall to help deal with the blaze. These included the aerial ladder platforms from Truro and Newquay, the high volume pump from Newquay, water carriers from Helston and Wadebridge, a bulk foam unit from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and a foam unit from Falmouth.

Over the past few hours firefighters have been using the aerial ladder platform to spread foam onto the fire to suppress the fire and this work will continue.

Earlier this afternoon the appliances from St Columb and Mullion were replaced by appliances from St Keverne and Bodmin.

The incident has involved a wide range of organisations, including Devon and Cornwall Police, British Transport Police, Western Power, Network Rail, the Environment Agency, CORMAC, the Council’s Public Protection team, South West Ambulance Service and Highways England with support from the Council’s Emergency Management service and Public Health England.

All are continuing to monitor the situation and are on standby to respond if the fire becomes more serious. Although the thick acrid smoke has now dispersed, there is a still a plume of smoke coming from the site.

Cornwall Council has issued health advice regarding breathing the smoke, which is made up of a mixture of gases, liquid droplets and solid particles. Some of the substances present in smoke can irritate the lining of the air passages (nose, throat and lungs), the skin and the eyes. Symptoms may include coughing and wheezing, sore throat, feeling short of breath, runny nose or eyes or chest pain.

In general, exposure to smoke is more likely to affect people who have existing breathing problems, lung or heart conditions (e.g. asthma, bronchitis, chronic pulmonary disease or heart disease). The very young and very old, smokers and people with flu or flu-like illnesses may also be at greater risk after exposure to smoke from fires.

A council spokesperson said: "People who are generally fit and well are unlikely to experience long-term health problems from temporary exposure to smoke from a fire. To minimise your exposure, shelter as much as possible by limiting the amount of time you spend outside in the smoke. People with asthma who may be in the vicinity of the fire should carry their inhaler."

If symptoms persist, seek medical advice by calling NHS 111 or by contacting your General Practitioner (GP). If a medical consultant is already treating an existing health condition, discuss your concerns and symptoms with them. In the case of an emergency call 999.