The Medina County Central Processing Facility caught fire on Tuesday.
Fire alarms sounded around 5:10 p.m. in the facility that handles waste disposal for the county.
When firefighters from Westfield arrived some seven minutes later, heavy smoke was coming from the two-story structure.
The Westfield Fire Department called for more units from Seville-Guilford, Lafayette Township, Lodi and the city of Medina fire departments.
Westfield Fire Chief Jeff Hall said sprinklers inside the structure helped stop the spread of the fire, which started in a large pile of trash inside of the building on Lake Road.
Hall said it appears the fire was sparked by a lithium-ion battery that was improperly thrown away in someone’s trash that was brought into the facility.
How should you safely dispose of lithium-ion batteries?
Lithium-ion batteries − and items containing these batteries − should never be thrown away in household garbage or recycling bins, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Instead, take them to separate, specially designated recycling facilities or household hazardous waste collection points.
Fiind authorized recycling site here.
Find household hazardous waste collection points here.
You can also find disposal options by calling 1-800-CLEANUP.
To prevent fires, the U.S. EPA recommends taping battery terminals and/or placing lithium-ion batteries in separate plastic bags.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Improperly tossed battery sparks Medina County waste facility fire
Reporting by Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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