The fire at Island Recycling Inc. on Sand Island shot huge flames and smoke into the air yesterday as it consumed tires, paper and other scrap materials.
Fire devours Sand Island
recycling yardSmoke from the blaze could be
seen from throughout Honolulu
A fast-moving fire raged through a Sand Island recycling plant yesterday, burning through about half a football field worth of tires and other scrap materials and enveloping the area in thick black smoke.
The fire started at a scrap yard owned by Island Recycling Inc., located between Keehi Lagoon and Mohonua Place. The company markets itself as the state's largest recycling operation.
More than 70 county, state and federal firefighters were at the scene trying to get the blaze under control, battling not just the heat, but the potentially hazardous fumes as well.
"There's tires back there, propane tanks, acetylene tanks," said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Emmit Kane. "There's crushed cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other about 30 to 35 feet high."
"And then we've got a heavy volume of smoke. ... Some of those chemicals could be toxic."
State Department of Health officials advised that people stay away from the smoke, which the wind blew toward the ocean and away from residential areas last night.
Kane said firefighters were called to the scene just after 5 p.m. He said that because the fire happened close to quitting time, no evacuations were necessary, although some people who were still working were forced to stay until it was all over.
"We can't leave because they don't want us driving over the fire hoses," said Glenn Barretto, of Island Copier Specialists. "This happened fast. I heard some crackling, and then in 15 to 20 minutes, it just took off."
The blaze generated a large plume of smoke that could be seen almost everywhere in Honolulu. Along the H-1 freeway and Nimitz Highway, rubberneckers slowed down traffic while staring at the black sky.
"There was just a little bit of smoke at first at 4:30 p.m.," said Ed Ki, owner of Hawaiian Pacific Concrete & Paving. "Then at 5 it was pitch black with smoke."
Besides the smoke, some witnesses said they heard what sounded like multiple explosions.
"After each explosion there would be a big whoosh followed by a big rolling ball of black smoke," said Paul Thompson, owner of PET Engineering. "It sounded like cans were exploding from being superheated and then everything being released into the air."
Kane said firefighters were hampered by access into the yard and the heat generated by the volume of material burning.
He said state firefighters greatly helped to put out the pile of tires that was on fire by using their "crash foam" to soak the blaze.
No injuries from civilians or fire personnel were reported, though Kane said the department was trying to rotate firefighters on scene quickly, so that they were exposed to as little of the smoke as possible.
Firefighters worked yesterday afternoon to extinguish the huge fire at Island Recycling Inc. on Sand Island. The blaze was fueled by stacks of tires and paper among other things.
By 9 p.m. Kane said the fire was not under control, but that it had been contained. He expected firefighters to be watching the situation until close to midnight.
According to the Island Recycling Web site, the company recycles a number of materials, including tires, batteries, aluminum cans, glass bottles, electronic scrap, wooden pallets and other papers and metals.
Island Recycling President Jim Nutter said he did not want to comment on the cause of the fire without first speaking to an attorney.
"We may have a spokesman give a statement," said Nutter last night. "We're not sure.
"We don't have anything to hide. We just want to do things the right way."
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The massive fire in its
storage yard is yet another
problem for Island Recycling
The Oahu recycling company hit by a huge fire at its Sand Island storage yard yesterday ran the city's pilot curbside recycling project in Mililani and is the apparent low bidder for taking curbside collection islandwide.
However, even before the fire, the company faced some hurdles to taking on the expanded work.
City records show that Island Recycling has past-due fines for violating city building codes, is out of compliance with city zoning rules and faces potential state fines for pollution from storm-water runoff.
Island Recycling President Jim Nutter said several weeks ago that his company is "in compliance with everything that they're asking us to do, and to me that's not a violation."
Island Recycling, which leases land at 50 Sand Island Access Road from the state Department of Transportation, is the apparent low bidder among two bids for islandwide curbside recycling. However, before awarding a contract, the city also is seeking proposals to see if any private companies would both collect and process recyclable materials at a cost the city can afford. Those proposals are due later this month.
City Environmental Services Director Frank Doyle said before any islandwide contract is awarded that any bidder's outstanding problems with permits or zoning must be resolved.
Records on file with the city Department of Planning & Permitting show that Island Recycling:
» Was issued an April 6 warning letter from the state Department of Health's Clean Water Branch, requiring the company to apply for a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit, take steps to stop storm water at its facility from getting into a canal that leads to the ocean, and clean up loose trash on its grounds.
The company's response, due earlier this week, was not available yesterday. The violation could lead to fines of up to $25,000 a day.
» Was informed March 29 that it must apply for and receive a city zoning clearance and a minor conditional use permit to continue operations in its current location. City officials originally told the company in April 1999 that it did not need those things, but a February site visit revealed they will be necessary, according to file documents. Nutter said the company is taking steps to obtain the items.
"We've always told them what we do," he said. "When they came out and did the inspection, they said, 'You fall under a different classification.' We've only been doing the same thing for 20 years. Why now?"
» Was informed May 20, 2003, that it faced potential $50-a-day fines for each of 11 structures on its property (an office trailer and sheds) without city building permits.
Nutter said his company paid one $50 fine, tore down five sheds, moved two others and is in the process of meeting other city and state requirements. He said his company did not pay the full amount of the fines because "we've asked for time extensions and given the reasons for it. It's not like we haven't done anything."
