A fire involving 15,000 tonnes of tyres at a recycling plant has sent up a plume of smoke so huge that it can be seen from space.

Taken by @djsalt1 via Instagram at Sherburn Aero Club on Thursday

A fire involving 15,000 tonnes of tyres at the Newgen Recycling plant in Sherburn-in-Elmet, near Leeds blanketed York in black smoke with heights of up to 6,000ft.

The fire started Thursday at around 08:40 GMT but the cause of the huge blaze is yet unknown.

Photograph: @NorthYorksFire

Smoke from the fire was picked up by a Nasa satellite image showing the huge plume of smoke towering over Yorkshire and the north of England.

A dark column of smoke was captured by a Nasa satellite - shown at the bottom right of the image Photograph: Nasa

Thick plume of black smoke seen from the Hull to Manchester train on Thursday. Photograph: Jonathan Cooke

North Yorkshire County Council advised thirteen schools to keep staff and pupils inside on Thursday, although there have been no reports of ill-health as a result of the fire.

Taken from Sherburn High School by @chelsmariexox on Instagram

Local residents were advised to stay indoors and keep their windows and doors closed on Friday until further notice. Public Health England's Yorkshire & the Humber Centre said that the risk of long term health effects is likely to be very low with "exposure over long period usually necessary for harm to occur."

@jblandy88 took this photo from his house in Brayton, Selby

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service announced Friday morning that they were allowing the fire to burn out: "We are scaling down our attendance but several fire crews remain at the scene, including 2 fire engines."

Speaking to the BBC, North Yorkshire's fire chief Nigel Hutchinson said that the fire is likely to "go on for days."

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue announced they were scaling back operations Friday morning, with officers on site still working to stop the fire spreading. Photograph: @NorthYorksFire

A high volume water pump is relaying water from a pond at the edge of the site. Water curtains protected the recycling plant overnight. Photograph: @NorthYorksFire

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