PORT TOWNSEND — The cause of a small fire Monday at the Jefferson County recycling center remained a mystery on Tuesday, while managers of the facility say they are continuing to operate as usual.
The fire started just after 3 p.m. in a paper bailing machine at the recycling facility operated by Skookum.
The recycling facility is located next door to the East Jefferson Fire-Rescue station.
Firefighters rushed over but, by the time they arrived, the fire already had been contained by Skookum employees.
“We got it out with a couple of fire extinguishers,” said Matt Hall, manager of the recycling facility.
“I’ve been here for 11 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Hall said smoke and flames were coming out of the bailing machine.
The problem has yet to be identified.
“We’ve inspected the machine, and it is running fine,” Hall said.
“We took the bail out and sorted through it, and didn’t find any aerosol containers, lighters or anything that would have produced a spark.
“We’re all pretty dumbfounded right now.”
Spontaneous combustion
Hall said the only answer he can come up with right now is spontaneous combustion, a very rare occurrence where a fuel, such as paper, ignites on its own.
“I really don’t know,” Hall said. “That’s unlikely but it could have happened.
“It’s just one of those really strange things.”
An East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokeswoman said the district has not determined an official cause of the fire.
Hall is monitoring the machine during operation to see if he can discover how the fire might have been sparked.
“We’re trying to think of anything that could have done it,” he said.
“We’re being careful but yes, people can still come and drop off their recycling.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
