The Anatomy Of A MRF & Waste Facility Fire
Ryan Fogelman
Partner @ Fire Rover: Changing The Way The World Fights Its Fires; COfounder/Partner @ COhatch: Strengthening Communities & Improving Lives;
In the past year, I have published a couple of articles called the "The Anatomy Of A Recycling Facility Fire" and "The Anatomy Of A Wood Recycling Fire" which pieces together snippets of reported information on a fire incident that told an inside story highlighting the layers of a recycling facility and a biomass fire. Based on the positive reception, I bring you the "The Anatomy Of A MRF & Waste Fire." You will notice that I have removed all names and identities from the article highlights below since this exercise is meant for the purpose of education of the harmful effects an incident at a MRF or Transfer Station can pose.
"In the wee hours of the morning, a fire broke out at [Company X] mixed-waste and recycling facility..."
"...located in an area east of the city’s downtown core. [Company X] described the facility as a solid waste transfer station, hauling yard and solid waste material recycling site."
"The blaze was reported shortly before 1 a.m. and was up to a six-alarm status an hour later."
"...as the building was “fully engulfed.""
"more than 40 trucks rushed to the [City X] this morning to help put out the fire that could reportedly take days to extinguish. The [City X] fire boat was also on site."
"Employees were inside the building at the time, but everyone got out. Two employees were assessed at the scene and released, and no injuries have been reported."
"Six [City X] bus routes have been affected after fire trucks on scene blocked a cache of buses..."
“The material here is mixed. It’s really hard, if not impossible, for us to know exactly what the contents are...”
"....it was hard to estimate just how long it would take to entirely put out the flames."
"There’s extensive damage in the structure, the roof has collapsed"
"...firefighters stayed outside the structure to fight the flames at a distance. With the building partially open to the elements, increased winds meant the fire was “swirling a bit.”"
"The content is far too heavy for our firefighters to move manually – we need forklifts and backhoes and such to pull it apart safely."
"I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re here into tomorrow and even the next couple of days,” [Fire Chief X] said. “It really depends how this process of taking it apart and fully suppressing it goes."
"...much of the water being used to battle the blaze was being supplied by a fire boat just offshore..."
"People across the town reported seeing and smelling smoke, and seeing ashes, several miles west of the fire..."
"....people in the area reported hearing explosions."
"Days after it began and quickly escalated to six-alarm, the remains of a massive fire in a [Company X] recycling plant continued to burn..."
"There are places in the middle that are burning, but you can’t get to them easily,” [Fire Chief X] explained. “We peel it back a layer at a time"
"At the peak of the six-alarm blaze, 100 fire fighters...with 68 fire trucks on site...were battling the flames."
"Fire at [Company X] recycling facility has been put out."
"The area is now under “fire watch,” which means officials are sifting through the debris to make sure no material is in danger of re-igniting."
"...fire investigators say the origin of the fire is “where the recyclables were handled.”"
"Firefighters were called back to the scene of a recent...recycling plant fire on Wednesday to put out two small fires, nearly two weeks after the massive blaze there caused an estimated $20 million in damage."
"The original fire caused extensive structural damage to the plant and caused the roof to collapse. More than 500 firefighters worked on the fire and the smouldering structure over three days."
The truth is that these types of fires are occurring to all of us in the Waste & Recycling Industry too frequently and without prejudice. Additionally, Fire Incidents that continue to plague the Waste & Recycling Industry do not discriminate against poorly run operations. Some of the best operators in the Industry are still victims of fire incidents.
Fortunately, we have developed a solution that proactively protects your operations from the threat of fire remotely through the use of thermal technology and human verification. If you are interested in learning more feel free to message me on LinkedIn or by email at rfogelman(at)firerover.com.
Virtual Fire Protection Engineer
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