Lives put at risk after major fire started with pile of rubbish Milton Keynes Council failed to shift

A major fire that put dozens of lives in danger on the Lakes Estate was caused by somebody setting fire to a pile of dumped rubbish that Milton Keynes Council had failed to move, the Citizen can reveal.

The blaze, which broke out at 2am today, spread to two garages and destroyed an electricity sub-station, leaving more than 60 families without power.

More than 45 firefighters and officer attended due to the risk that the fire would spread to nearby homes.

The root of the fire was a large pile of rubbish that had been illegally dumped outside one of the garages.

Residents had put in official requests to MK Council two weeks ago for their contractors to remove the rubbish.

“It would have cost a few pounds to get rid of this rubbish. Now it will cost tens of thousands to get the garages and the electricity sub-station repaired,” said one resident, who praised firefighters for their work.

“It’s a miracle nobody was injured or killed. The council - and indeed the idiots that dumped this rubbish - would have blood on its hands had this happened,” he added.

One family had to be evacuated during the blaze and 61 households are now without electricity.

MK Council has this morning sent out letters to affected families, inviting them to use the power at the nearby Spotlight Community Centre.

It is not yet known when power will be restored.

Meanwhile ward Labour councillor Mohammed Khan is at the scene and has promised to investigate what went wrong with the council.

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