Fire in drug paraphernalia among homeless tents causes explosion in Cardiff

A witness described a large explosion as a fire spread in drugs paraphernalia and rubbish among a homeless tent encampment in Cardiff city centre. Firefighters were called out to tackle the incident by the Wood Street bridge over the River Taff in the centre of the city.

The witness said there was a "massive fire" at just after 1.30am and a pretty large explosion noise as if something big exploded. They said that in recent months the activity in the area had "caused chaos for the local community".

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said that the blaze was "a large refuse fire involving mixed household waste and drug paraphernalia". Firefighters were called to the riverbank at 1.37am and a stop message was received at around 2am.. For the latest Cardiff news, sign up to our newsletter here.

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The witness said: "Around 1.30am in the morning, I saw a bright glow outside my window, and when I went to look I saw that there was a fire just off the side of the bridge in front of the [Principality Stadium]."

They added: "Almost every night there are fights and I get woken up by screaming and shouting frequently. Some nights I literally see people walking around with needles sticking out of their arms. When I saw the fire, I wasn't surprised and I immediately called 999. They turned up soon after.

"The crime near our building has gotten so bad. You could set up a police station in one of the flats here and you would make so many arrests."

A spokesperson for South Wales Fire and Rescue said: "At approximately 1:37am, SWFRS was called to a large refuse fire involving mixed household waste and drug paraphernalia. A crew from Cardiff Central successfully tackles the blaze using one hose reel jet and one ceiling hook. The stop message was received at around 2am."

WalesOnline has approached South Wales Police for a comment.

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