Crews work to stop recycling-center fire

10/26/2012

Fire crews Thursday continued to extinguish a fire at a recycling center in North Toledo, expecting the process could take several days.

Crews were alerted to the Stickney Recycling Center at 4425 Creekside Ave. by a passer-by who reported flames about 4:22 a.m. Thursday. There were no injuries, and fire crews contained the fire later in the morning to the 47-foot-deep pit of recyclable materials where the fire started, according to the Toledo Fire Department.

Toledo fire Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld said it could take days to completely extinguish everything because this is the type of fire that will spread deep and across the pit because of the materials that are burning.

Lieutenant Hertzfeld said the only hazardous material the center takes is asbestos and asbestos-related items, but they are bagged according to EPA standards. It was unclear whether the pit where the fire started had such materials; an investigation on the cause is ongoing.

The company did not return repeated phone messages requesting a comment.

The center will continue to operate while the extinguishment process continues.