CARLISLE TWP., Ohio — A large fire at a Lorain County landfill posed challenges for crews and raised concerns for neighbors Wednesday night.
The fire at a Republic Services landfill site ignited around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Fire crews from Oberlin and Carlisle Township responded to assist after several neighbors reported heavy smoke and flames visible for miles.
“Typically when this happens the landfill staff, the heavy equipment operators, they can cover it up with dirt. And we typically don’t have to respond up there. But this fire was a little bigger than normal,” said Oberlin Fire Chief Robert Hanmer.
He estimated it took around 30 minutes to fully contain the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Hanmer and Republic Services suspect a recent load of trash disposed at the landfill likely contained a smoldering material.
“The fire, we believe, possibly could have started from charcoal left in a grill. They dumped it in a trash can and thought it was out. It made it to the landfill, the wind blew the ash off, an ember caught something on fire there and it just spread from there,” Hanmer said.
No injuries were reported, but some neighbors complained about a strong odor. Pat Justin said she was grateful the wind was not blowing the smoke toward her home, but she worried what her neighbors might have inhaled.
“These odors - they are so strong. And we’re just really concerned of what we’re breathing in,” she said.
Hanmer said it’s always to avoid breathing in any smoke. Republic Services said the fire did not present a public health risk.
“The fire was contained to a small area of the landfill and did not pose a threat to our neighbors,” the company said in an emailed statement.
Additionally, Republic Services is reminding customers not to properly dispose of flammable materials, including lithium batteries.
“The improper disposal of these batteries has resulted in many recycling and waste collection truck fires and landfill fires. Lithium batteries should never be put in recycling or waste carts,” the statement said.
The company provided THIS LINKfor more information about properly disposing of lithium batteries.
Chief Hanmer said the Ohio EPA will be assisting in the investigation and will determine whether there were any operating violations during the incident.
