Recycling truck dumps smoldering load on Summit Avenue. A lithium battery was more likely to blame. – Twin Cities

When a Eureka Recycling truck dumped a smoking load into the frontage street of Summit Avenue close to Macalester School round noon Tuesday, there was no in poor health will supposed. It was the quickest approach to put out a hearth, seemingly attributable to an improperly disposed of lithium battery.

“That is what we name a scorching load in our business,” mentioned Katie Drews, co-president and chief govt officer of Eureka Recycling. “Thankfully, and sadly, we’re a little bit used to having to take care of fires on this business. Our driver was in a position to act actually shortly. Nobody was harmed. There’s some injury to the truck.”

Yesterday a recycling truck dumped its load on the 1600 block of Summit Ave, after a hearth was found.  Firefighters shortly extinguished the fireplace. Improper disposal of batteries, smoking supplies, and chemical compounds are the commonest causes of such fires. @stpaulpublicw pic.twitter.com/H7PDt283WD

— Saint Paul Hearth Dept (@StPaulFireDept) April 3, 2024

Lithium batteries have turn into commonplace in client merchandise, from cellphones to energy instruments and even light-up greeting playing cards, however they need to by no means be tossed in with the recycling.

That’s as a result of they’ll catch hearth when compacted, posing particular risks in recycling services, that are chock-full of paper and different flammables.

“Services like ours have a extremely laborious time insuring,” Drews mentioned. “The prices are astronomical, and people prices are burdened on the residents. That is why prices have gone up nationwide — to cowl the insurance coverage.”

On Wednesday, the St. Paul Hearth Division circulated footage of the smoldering recyclables on social media, and the sizable heap of smoking cardboard and different materials made for fairly a sight.

“Yesterday a recycling truck dumped its load on the 1600 block of Summit Ave after a hearth was found,” reads the message from the fireplace division on X, previously often called Twitter. “Firefighters shortly extinguished the fireplace. Improper disposal of batteries, smoking supplies and chemical compounds are the commonest causes of such fires.”