April 20th, 2022
Enormous plumes of smoke filled the sky after a large recycling plant fire ignited on Monday, April 18. The UCC recycling center was completely engulfed in flames when crews arrived at the facility in Tucson, Arizona.
The two-alarm fire took three hours to contain after being reported at 3:22 p.m. and businesses nearby were forced to evacuate. There were no reported injuries and though the blaze could be seen from I-10, the interstate was not closed.
The low water pressure, windy conditions, and 15-20 ft high bales of recyclable paper hampered the effort to combat fire. The recycling plant fire was upgraded to a two-alarm fire and crews worked all night to extinguish hot spots.
The cause of the fire is unknown and an onsite firefighter said the plant, which opened a mere 6 months ago, was a total loss. Rural/Metro Battalion Chief John Walka said fire investigators were working to find a cause.
Contact Risk Logic today for a site inspection. This will include the review of fire protection system designs, impairment management procedures, and pre-incident planning with the local fire department.