photo by Battalion Chief Don Bowman
Chattanooga firefighters were called to a fire at the city's wood recycling center on N. Hawthorne Street around noon on Sunday. Battalion Chief Don Bowman said the smoke and flames could be seen from several miles away.
Firefighters with five fire companies worked to get the blaze under control, using master streams from two aerials and some hand-held hoselines. The fire was extinguished in minutes. No structures were involved and no one was injured.
The cause of the fire appears to be accidental.
Chief Bowman and employees with the recycling center believe the fire started from spontaneous combustion inside the large, steaming pile of compost.
Because of the hot, dry conditions, Chief Bowman said everyone should be extra careful with things like cigarette butts and campfires. He said, "We don't see many fires start on their own like this, but we do see grass fires next to roads that suggest lit cigarette butts are being tossed out car windows. Please be fire safe out there."