ELLSWORTH – A fire recently broke out at the Pierce County Solid Waste, Material Recovery Facility in Ellsworth, halting operations and causing significant damage to processing equipment. Fortunately, no staff members were injured during the incident.

The fire is suspected to have been caused by a lithium battery that was improperly disposed of in a cardboard collection container. As the cardboard materials were being processed at the facility, the battery—hidden within a stack of cardboard—was crushed on a conveyor line. The impact caused the battery to burst, immediately igniting the conveyor equipment.

Facility staff acted swiftly, working immediately to extinguish the flames. Due to the nature of the fire, staff ultimately requested an emergency response from the Ellsworth Fire Department, who arrived on the scene and fully secured the area.

While the swift actions of facility staff and the Ellsworth Fire Department prevented further destruction, the fire caused an estimated $45,000 in damages to the facility's conveyor and processing equipment.

In the wake of this costly and dangerous event, Pierce County officials are issuing an urgent reminder to the public to recycle responsibly. Lithium batteries, commonly found in everyday electronics, e-cigarettes, and toys, pose a severe fire hazard when placed in standard recycling or waste bins. When these batteries are compressed or punctured by heavy sorting machinery, they can easily explode and start rapidly spreading fires.

"We are incredibly thankful that none of our staff were injured in this situation," stated Operations Manager Tony Pfaff. "However, this serves as a critical reminder of the dangers our workers face when hazardous materials are mixed in with standard recyclables. We urge the public to dispose of lithium batteries and other hazardous materials through the proper designated channels to prevent these types of unnecessary, dangerous, and costly damages."

Residents are reminded to never place lithium-ion batteries or electronic devices in their curbside recycling, standard cardboard or standard container collection bins. Please check with the Pierce County Solid Waste Department for guidelines on designated drop-off locations, upcoming collection events and the proper disposal of rechargeable batteries, hazardous waste, pharmaceutical materials and electronic recycling.

Submitted by Operations Manager Tony Pfaff