San Francisco authorities responded to a one-alarm fire that broke out at a Recology facility on Monday afternoon which is believed to have been sparked by improper disposal of batteries, a firefighter said.
The San Francisco Fire Department responded to the scene of the fire at around 3:30 p.m. The building was a sorting warehouse on the 500 block of Tunnel Avenue. Officials said the fire broke out on a metal pile that workers were sorting out.
Recology Facility Fire
Firefighters were able to put the fire under control by 4:15 p.m. and noted that no injuries were reported. Fire authorities said all employees inside the warehouse were accounted for. In a Twitter post, the San Francisco Fire Department updated the public regarding the status of the fire and the employees of the company.
“The cause of this fire is by something that a lot of messaging goes out about to not do, and that is lithium batteries,” Fire Department spokesperson Jonathan Baxter said. He also urged residents to take a look at the company’s website to learn about the proper guidelines on how to dispose of batteries.
The instructions provide multiple disposal options, such as curbside battery collection, battery buckets for apartment buildings and several dropoff locations placed around San Francisco. On Monday afternoon, firefighters remained at the Recology facility to assist in cleaning up the scene of the fire, CBS Local reported.
