UPDATE: The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority’s Materials Recycling Facility will be open Monday and will be accepting recyclables on a normal schedule.
Earlier story:
Less than a week after reopening, a fire broke out Friday night at ECUA’s recycling facility, but officials are hoping it will be running on Monday.
The fire was reported about 6:15 Friday in the ECUA Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in what is known as the “plastics bunker”, according to ECUA Public Information Officer Nathalie Bowers. She said smoke and flames were able to reach the presort room above the bunkers through discharge chutes.
The heat triggered just four sprinkler heads, two in the presort room and two above the plastics bunker. Bowers said this helped limit the fire, and Escambia County Fire was able to quickly contain the fire shortly after arrival.
“The machinery had been off since 1:30 pm Friday and there is no machinery or electrical equipment in this bunker area, so the source of the fire is not likely anything related to equipment,” Bowers said. “Due to the mass of melted plastics in the bunker, we were unable to confirm what materials in the plastics bunker caused the fire. This serves as a reminder to our customers that only accepted materials should be placed in their recycling container.”
A preliminary review of the area revealed limited damage to one wall in the presort room, lighting fixtures and ceiling tiles. The sprinkler heads were set to be replaced on Saturday.
“ECUA staff will replace the fixtures, check wiring in this area, and inspect the belt to confirm that there was no damage,” Bowers added. “At this point, we are cautiously optimistic that normal operations will be able to resume Monday and will confirm that after the inspections are completed.”
The recycling facility was closed in June after an equipment failure and just returned to service last Monday, September 26.
In July 2021, a fire damaged the ECUA MRF at the Perdido Landfill in July 2021, shutting down the recycling program until October 2021.
