September 9th, 2024
On Wednesday, June 12th, emergency crews battled a fire at the Rivers Recycling facility in Kilgore, Texas. The Fire Marshal reported that the fire was called in just before 6 p.m. When the firefighters arrived, the fire had already engulfed the entire 37,000-square-foot building. Due to the rural water supply, controlling the blaze was challenging. Crews allowed the fire to burn out on its own to prevent wasting water and causing potential environmental harm by running water downstream. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) monitored the air quality in the area during and after the event.
The fire is under investigation. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. The recycling center has a large range of items, including pallets, cardboard, and tires. Many of these items are combustible or contain elements that could have contributed to the fire. The fire will suspend curbside recycling in Longview and Whitehouse until further notice, and recyclables will go directly to the landfill. The fire burned for several days, and smoke was an issue for the town and neighboring areas.
 To read about a similar incident, we covered last year involving a recycling plant fire, please click here. Risk Logic engineers can advise on safe storage and maintenance practices for these occupancies. RLI encourages you to contact us for a site inspection of your facility, where we can help identify fire hazards and recommend fire protection systems to reduce potential damage to your industry.
