South Yorkshire firefighters are currently in attendance at an incident in Thurnscoe, in which acetelyne cylinders are believed to have been involved in a fire.

The fire itself was a small rubbish fire in a barn at Knabs Hill Farm on Clayton Lane, which has now been extinguished. However, acetelyne cylinders are potentially explosive if they have been involved in fire. Standard procedures require the cylinders to be cooled with a water jet for a 24-hour period after the fire is out, and a 200m safety cordon to be put in place throughout that period. Therefore, Clayton Lane is expected to be closed until around 7.30am on Saturday, subject to ongoing risk assessments over the course of the day.

The farm itself is the only building within the safety cordon, and no other evacuations have been necessary. Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters were initially sent to the incident, which began at around 6.30am on Friday, but fire service commitment was reduced to two fire engines and around 10 firefighters at 8.30am.

South Yorkshire Police have issued the traffic advice below:

Due to a barn fire on Clayton Ln, Thurnscoe,  Clayton ln will be closed for at least 24 hrs between Clayton and Thurnscoe. This means that Robert Ogden School cannot be accessed from the direction of Clayton village.  The 250 metre cordon will not directly affect the school building, and there is no need for any evacuation at this time.