A fire in the construction and demolition containment area at Augusta Recyclers Inc. Saturday evening, January 4, is believed to have been caused by fireplace ash and embers that were not fully extinguished.
Donna Stobbart, customer service manager at City Transfer, which operates the recycling depot, said Monday the company has experienced similar situations before where people do not take the time to ensure embers are cold before they are dumped into the waste bunker.
“The containment bunker is surrounded by large lock-blocks and kept the fire from spreading,” Stobbart said. “People need to make sure material they are dumping does not pose a safety hazard.”
An excavator from Augusta Recyclers assisted Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department members in efforts to put out the fire. Water was transported by tanker trucks from a hydrant on Bradford Road to extinguish the blaze which some witnesses said shot flames as high as 30 feet into the sky.
Stobbart said there was no reported toxic smoke or fumes and, as far as she was aware, no report was filed by the fire department to the contrary. “Everyone did an excellent job of putting the fire out.”
