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Batteries cause fire at landfill December 18, 2017, 8:08 amRichards believes it is likely that a truck containing the batteries (or possibly charcoal) came in on Saturday, December 2 and sat overnight since the landfill is not open on Sundays. (Lithium batteries get compressed when waste is compacted, the process of which can provide a heat source, igniting the batteries under certain conditions.) The fire ignited sometime early afternoon Sunday, December 3, and Richards was notified around 2:30 p.m. by the Cedar Fort Fire Department. Once he arrived on the scene, Richards called out his own crews to address the problem. After about three hours, the fire department turned the fire over to Richards' crews but checked in periodically until it was out. Richards said the affected area was on a larger slope and the winds were 40 mph that day, causing a large amount of smoke to be generated. Landfill fires cannot be treated with water. Since the landfill compacts the waste which can generate heat, water can create steam and oxygenize the waste, causing a fire to flare up. Instead, the area must be smothered with dirt. Overnight Sunday, December 3, Richards employed two crews of 10 to 12 to eliminate the fire and brought in extra excavation equipment to help in the work. By late Monday afternoon, the fire was extinguished with the exception of a couple of hot spots which were addressed by the end of day Tuesday. While the fire was being suppressed, the landfill was closed to residential dumping as a safety precaution. Richards said landfill fires are relatively common, with about 8,000 such fires reported at U.S. landfills each year. The landfill, which has been open since summer 2012, has had fires about every two years. They have all been small fires, Richards said. The landfill experienced a smaller, battery-caused fire in the recycling area just four weeks prior to this latest fire. Richards said the battery, which burned a much smaller area than the December 3 fire, was likely in a bag since it was missed by landfill personnel. Once a fire broke out, an onsite crew quickly located the source of the fire and extinguished it within 40 minutes. They later found the remains of a lithium battery. Richards cautions local residents against putting any kind of household hazardous waste in their garbage cans or in curbside dumpsters. Items such as oil,paint and batteries, especially lithium batteries, are highly ignitable, he said. Instead, they should be sorted and taken to the landfill area specified for that purpose or to the transfer station. The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2024 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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