Firefighters Extinguish 4,000 Pounds of Recyclables

Ladder 2 was dispatched to the area of East Pass & Grove Circle Tuesday morning for an outside fire involving discarded recyclables.

Upon arrival, firefighters found a large pile of roughly 4,000 pounds of recyclables dumped onto the street. A City of Madison Streets Division recycling collection operator dumped the pile upon noticing the back of the truck was smoking. The pile was fully involved in fire when MFD arrived. 

Ladder 2 stretched their front bumper line, as well as a 200-foot pre-connect line, and began fire attack. A thermal imaging camera indicated head signatures of approximately 450 degrees within the pile. Engine 12 was dispatched to provide additional assistance with extinguishing and overhauling the fire. 

The City of Madison Streets Division provided an end loader to spread the large trash pile, allowing firefighters to continue battling hot spots until all of the debris was fully extinguished. The exact cause of the fire could not be determined. 

Most of the debris consisted of recyclables, except for an old computer that firefighters found in the debris during overhaul. 

The Madison Fire Department and the Madison Streets Division advise that electronics and other items containing lithium-ion batteries must be disposed of properly. Never put batteries or electronics in your recycling cart. 

Read more recycling and disposal tips from the City of Madison Streets Division.