THE MP whose constituency covers Chirk has said it is key for Kronospan to be more transparent in the community after a fire earlier this week.

Conservative MP Simon Baynes met with Chirk town councillors on Tuesday morning to discuss the fire which began on Monday.

Firefighters were called to the Holyhead Road site at 2.14am on Monday after receiving reports of a fire in the logyard.

Crews from Wrexham and Llangollen were still tackling the blaze more than 48 hours after it started.

Mr Baynes said the meeting with the councillors was a good opportunity to understand the concerns of those living near the factory.

He said: “It was an informative meeting and an opportunity for me to hear directly from the town council about the experience of residents in Chirk.

“I am in contact with Kronospan themselves and I am arranging to meet with them.

“When I do I will reflect with them the concerns of residents about the fire and other environmental issues.

“In their statement, Kronospan made clear there will be a full inquiry into the source of the fire, and I think that’s very important.”

With crews still on site on Wednesday, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service urged Chirk residents to close their doors and windows with a forecasted change in wind direction.

The fire prompted a large online response from people living nearby. Mr Baynes said it is important to look after both the residents and the factory, and has urged Kronospan to have a stronger relationship with the community.

“I think it’s important that Kronospan has a communicative relationship with residents of Chirk,” he said. “Because they want Kronospan to do well and prosper because it’s a very important business for the area.

“But equally they want to be able to express their concerns and ask questions about how things are developing.

“I think that the key issue is that a large company like Kronospan needs to demonstrate that its fulfilling environmental requirements.

“I am not saying it isn’t already, but it needs to be transparent about that.”

A spokesman for Kronospan gave an update on the fire on Tuesday afternoon, saying: “The fire brigade remains on site and are controlling the fire with Kronospan helping in the process. The fire involves raw timber on the logyard.

“Once the fire is out, we will conduct a full enquiry. In the meantime, there is no impact on our production operations.”

In the initial statement about the fire which was sent out on Monday, Kronospan confirmed the incident took place in an isolated part of the site, and that no-one was injured.

The factory also apologised for any inconvenience caused to residents as a result of the fire.