Approximately a full day was needed to put out the fire on Chandler Road northwest of Taylor last week.
The fire at the Balcones Resources recycling center Friday, Jan. 14, was primarily extinguished by around 10 p.m., but Taylor Fire Department Chief Daniel Baum said firefighting efforts continued until noon Saturday, Jan. 15.
“Fire was deep seated in large piles of refuse materials,” said Baum. “The cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation.”
Two firefighters were injured and transported to a hospital overnight.
“A Taylor firefighter was released Friday evening,” said Baum, “while a Jarrell firefighter was kept overnight for observation.”
Although the fire’s cause is unknown, the fire involved bales of recycled materials ready for shipping and piles of unprocessed material. The Taylor Fire Department was dispatched to the 9800 block of Chandler Road at 11:59 a.m. Friday.
“Most of the material was cardboard, paper products and plastics,” said Baum. “The presence of an automatic sprinkler system limited the spread of fire inside the building and helped firefighters save the structure.”
Concerns started to concentrate outside. Small grass fires kindled due to flying embers but were brought under control relatively quickly.
“Our efforts during the evening focused on keeping the fire from spreading beyond the property as the incoming cold front was a big concern,” said Baum. “Much of the firefighting effort involved using front end loaders and other heavy construction equipment to move and break up the refuse piles so that water could be applied to them. Personnel from Balcones Resources, Jonah Water Supply, and Williamson County Road & Bridge operated the heavy equipment.”
More than 60 firefighters battled to extinguish the blaze. Assisting Taylor were fire departments from Hutto, Round Rock, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Leander, Sam Bass, Weir and Jarrell.
