Orcas Island Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a container fire in the transfer station area at the Exchange around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 13th.
Smoke and flames visible from Orcas Road prompted a call to fire personnel, who arrived to find a working fire located inside the 48-foot steel shipping container housed on a trailer which was attached to a semi-truck in the tipping floor building.
Burning debris falling from the top of the container to a fuel tank and tires below were immediately extinguished by fire personnel with a property-owned fire extinguisher located in the area while fire crews worked on getting hose lines deployed for attack.
Crews quickly controlled and extinguished the fire, preventing spread to the attached truck, adjacent buildings, and multiple other exposures and hazards nearby.
“We hope that it will serve as a reminder to please pay attention to what you throw out—no batteries, paint, chemicals, greasy or oily rags—they can and will ignite!” shared ORS/Exchange Executive Director, Pete Moe, continuing, “ORS has recycling programs for most of these materials, and the Hazardous (and flammable) Waste Clean Up is next month!”
More information about the Orcas Recycling Service programs for hazardous waste can be found on the ORS/Exchange website at www.exchangeorcas.org