CLEVELAND (WJW) Firefighters contended with a substantial industrial fire on Monday at a Cleveland metal recycling facility filled with combustible materials, including ammunition.
The first supervisor arriving at the scene quickly realized they would need more help to contain the blaze at River Recycling Industries.
“We upgraded the alarm, made it a triple-two, and then elevated it to a triple-three alarm, bringing in additional units, resulting in over 80 firefighters tackling this fire,” Cleveland Fire spokesperson Lt. Mike Norman reported.
River Recycling Industries, which was established in 1919, is an industrial complex that includes a recycling plant, warehouses and a front office.
Investigators said it appears the fire was sparked by a contractor who was grinding metal on a loading dock and accidentally ignited cardboard.
The fire rapidly extended. Fire officials indicated that the combustible items within the recycling facility posed a hazardous challenge in extinguishing the flames.
“We encountered [propane] tanks exploding; there was some ammunition being recycled. Bullets were discharged inside the building, numerous explosions occurred, and upon our arrival, there was a significant fire,” Norman stated.
Given the potential volatility of some items within the site, fire officials employed a cautious approach to manage the blaze, and after two and a half hours, declared the situation under control.
“We deployed multiple aerial apparatus to suppress the fire, allowing us to advance hand lines and extinguish the remaining flames,” Norman said.
Firefighters said the rain that moved into the region on Monday afternoon helped cool down the air temperature, but it was not much help putting out the flames inside the buildings.
One of the firefighters was treated for heat exhaustion. None of the employees of River Recycling were injured.
Norman said damage from the fire will be at least $2 million.
