Garbage fire suppressed at Casella Waste Systems facility

A garbage fire at Rutland, Vermont-based Casella Waste Systems’ Olean, New York, facility was suppressed May 3 after a blazing trailer full of refuse in one of the bays was extinguished by the Olean Fire Department, the Olean Times Herald reports.

When the fire department arrived, the flames were rising five to 10 feet above the open top of the trailer and smoke was billowing out from an open door of the bay, according to the report.

Despite the size of the fire, no workers were injured, and no damage was reported. Olean Fire Lt. Tim Richardson said that the open nature of the trailer and quick response time helped prevent widespread damage. Richardson says that the fire was put out within 15 minutes of arrival onto the scene.

After extinguishing the blaze, the fire department backed the trailer out of the facility and dumped its contents onto Casella Waste Systems’ loading dock area to ensure the smoldering waste was extinguished.

Jerry Schnitzius, general manager of Casella Waste Systems, said that source of the fire was still unknown, but credited an on-site mechanic for catching the fire before it became worse.

“No harm done, thank God,” he says.