By Lauren Young
Staff Writer
Clouds of black smoke filled Wednesday’s sky in DeWitt as plastic recyclables caught fire at a DeWitt recycling center, but the cause of that fire will likely remain “undetermined,” said East Syracuse Fire Chief James Brewster.
Firefighters from East Syracuse, DeWitt and Fayetteville responded to the industrial fire at Syracuse Haulers, located at 6223 Thompson Road in DeWitt, just outside East Syracuse, on Wednesday morning, June 13.
The East Syracuse Fire Department was dispatched to the industrial fire first at 11:32 a.m., according to the department.
On arrival, firefighters found concrete bins filled with recyclables that were on fire inside the building. The fire spread up the walls to the fiberglass-reinforced plastic panels on the roof. The panels then melted and the burning debris fell back into the plastics fire and was basically feeding itself, Brewster said.
Engine Three, accompanied by the East Syracuse fire chief, arrived on the scene first, securing a hydrant and stretching an attack line to suppress the fire, according to a Facebook post from the East Syracuse Fire Department. Crews had the bulk of the fire knocked down in 15 minutes, keeping extension into the building at a minimum, the department said.
No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported, and the building was not badly damaged.
According to Brewster, a payloader scooped the burning plastic out of the building to spread it outside and spray it down.
He said investigators will likely deem the cause of the fire as “undetermined,” given that it would be nearly “impossible” to determine its source with the amount of material in the building.
“You never know what’s in those blue bins,” he said. “They’re supposed to be for recyclables, but that’s not always what ends up in there.”
