Fire at scrap metal site slows traffic
Firefighters fought two blazes last year at recycling business near I-90
Spokane Valley firefighters expected to work through the night to clean up a blaze ignited in a pile of rubble at a scrap metal recycling company.
The fire was at Dickson Iron and Metal, 907 N. Dyer Road, the same business where authorities said two similar fires ignited last year in piles of metal recycling waste. Friday’s fire destroyed a large excavator, sending thick plumes of black smoke pouring across nearby Interstate 90, reducing visibility and causing traffic slowdowns.
The fire was reported about 6 p.m. by a nearby business owner. By 7 p.m., more than 20 firefighters were on scene and had managed to knock down the flames. A backhoe was moving chunks of smoking rubble.
“We have to dig into the pile to make sure the fire is out,” said Spokane Valley fire Capt. Jeff Bordwell.
Authorities believe the scrap pile contained some rubber, which would explain why the fire produced so much heavy black smoke.
Businesses to the east were worried about workers in their factories inhaling the smoke.
Bordwell said it was unclear how the fire started. Firefighters planned to work through the night to extinguish the blaze. Last July, a fire in a similar pile was ignited, only to flare up again a week later, officials said.
No damage estimate was available for Friday’s blaze, but the destroyed excavator was worth about $9,000, the business owners said.