Residents are being urged to keep windows closed due to potentially toxic smoke from a fire in Hamilton. The blaze erupted in a pile of plastics at a Frankton recycling yard and sent black plumes of smoke across the city at lunchtime on Wednesday.

Residents are being urged to keep windows closed due to potentially toxic smoke from a fire in Hamilton.

The blaze erupted in a pile of plastics at a Frankton recycling yard and sent black plumes of smoke across the city at lunchtime on Wednesday.

Waikato fire assistant area commander Daryl Trim said the seat of the fire spread 10 metres by 10 metres in the yard at Planet Recycling.

JACOB PLASMEYER/SUPPLIED Another view of the blaze, looking southwest.

"We got a call to smoke showing in the yard here," he said, standing outside the site at the rear of Latham Court.

"We tried to extinguish the fire as quickly as we can to prevent the smoke, which is drifting over part of Hamilton."

The black smoke was caused by a mass of plastic containers among televisions and rubbish.

Stuff.co.nz Smoke from a fire in an industrial site in Frankton could be seen from across Hamilton on Wednesday.

Trim said the smoke was potentially toxic and residents in the vicinity should close windows and stay inside.

"The black nature of the smoke would indicate it was not good."

Trim was yet to ascertain how the fire started but said it was illegal to burn plastics and doubted it was purposely lit.

STEPH CHALMERS/SUPPLIED The view of the fire from the library at Waikato University.

Horomona Hardwidge was working on a tipper at surrounding business, D & T Macdonald, when he heard the "popping" of exploding televisions.

"Straight after spreading concrete I spun around and that was it, there was this big cloud of smoke.

"I rung the office girl and she came running out saying 'yep, it's a fire', so we rung the fire brigade."



Hardwidge didn't think anyone was working at Planet Recycling when the fire broke out.



They had been there earlier unloading a trailer.



"I don't know what actually goes on around there, but they were here this morning."

PHILLIPA YALDEN/FAIRFAX NZ The blaze as seen by motorists on Kahikatea Drv.

Another woman, who works for a neighbouring business, said one of the workers was in the yard earlier on Wednesday.

He was a smoker, she said.

The owner of the yard was on their way back from Morrinsville.

Three fire engines and 12 firefighters managed to contain the blaze within 20 minutes.

Northern Fire shift communications manager Dallas Ramsay said Waikato Regional Council environmental team was alerted to the blaze because of what was being burnt.

They would check whether any runoff had made it's way into nearby waterways.