August 2019 Updated Fire Report: Fires Top 38, 7 Injuries, I Death

SEATTLE (Waste 360): The summer is finally coming to an end. For most people, the end of summer is a time to fondly recollect the fireworks, barbeques, camping trips, vacations, home projects and working outdoors on our perfectly manicured lawns. For those of us in the waste and recycling industry, we know all too well the collective sigh of relief that we can breathe as the dreaded summer spike in fire incidents begins to move toward the rear-view mirror.  

The waste and recycling industry has experienced a summer increase in fire incidents for decades. These fires traditionally are caused by the public’s enjoyment of summer. Hazards from propane tanks, charcoal and fertilizers end up on our tip floors that result in close calls to complete destruction of our waste and recycling operations. As new hazards from lithium-ion batteries continue to flood our waste stream, these incidents have been growing at a steady rate over the past few years. 

During the past 12 months, the waste and recycling industry has experienced 331 reported facility fires in both the U.S. and Canada. Based on reasonable assumptions, we can extrapolate that 1,800-plus facility fires have occurred during that time, which, based on the number of facilities reported by the Environmental Research & Education Foundation, is more than 40 percent of the industry. I define “reported facility fires” as any fire that has been reported by the media that occurs at a waste or recycling facility. Typically, those fires are the two-alarm fires that require fire professionals to arrive on scene.

Courtesy: https://www.waste360.com