A fire at Goldman Recycling in Little Rock kept crews fighting blazes more than 18 hours as paper and plastic burned through the night Tuesday and well into the morning Wednesday, Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Jacob Lear-Sadowsky said.
The cause of the fire remained unknown Wednesday because the fire marshal was unable to investigate while hot spots continued, Lear-Sadowsky said. A crew will remain on the property at East 14th and Rayburn streets until at least this morning to monitor for flare-ups, he said.
"They were digging with a backhoe, and if they found a hot spot they'd have to take care of that and then dig some more," Lear-Sadowsky said about crews on-site.
Recyclable products such as paper and plastic caused a plume of smoke seen for miles around the capital Tuesday evening, he said. The paper and plastic also kept the fire burning longer than would be normal.
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment tweeted Wednesday that it would be working with consultants and facility representatives to remediate the environmental impacts of the industrial fire, the smoke from which was detectable on National Weather Service radar.
"Thankfully these type of fires are not common," Lear-Sadowsky said. "This was one of the bigger ones we've had in the past few years."
The warehouse was destroyed, along with a lot of property such as tractor trailers and vehicles on the business grounds, he said.
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Aftermath of Recycling Center Fire
Little Rock firefighters remain on scene of the Goldman Logistics recycling warehouse on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Little Rock.
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Crews responded to multiple calls about the fire about 5 p.m. Tuesday, he said. The fire was contained to the property by about 6 p.m., he said.
"They had the fire in a position that it was under control and contained to the property of origin," Lear-Sadowsky said. "There was no fear of it spreading to adjacent properties."
Some propane cylinders connected to forklifts caused explosions early in the fire, Lear-Sadowsky said. One of the cylinders launched from the flames, causing minor damage to a business across the street, he said.
"We are lucky in the sense that nobody got hurt," he said.
Fire Chief Delphone Hubbard previously said a vehicle from nearby beer distributor Golden Eagle of Arkansas received some heat damage at the start of the fire.
"At this time we are fortunate that everyone is safe and there appears to be limited damage to the property and equipment," Golden Eagle President Barry Capps said Wednesday via email. "The LRPD and LRFD have exceeded expectations and we are thankful for their hard work."
A statement published on the company's website said the business was out of power until late afternoon Wednesday as the Fire Department worked to extinguish the fire from its parking lot. Operations were stopped but resumed late in the day.
The business expected to restart deliveries this morning, the statement said.
"Our employees have stepped up to the challenge, as they always do," Capps said in the email. "We cannot thank them enough."
Hubbard previously reported that about half of the department personnel responded to the fire.
The size of the fire was a tremendous strain on staffing, Lear-Sadowsky said.
"It was a long night for the crews working yesterday and a few crews out there this morning," he said.
Centers were set up to relieve firefighters throughout the incident, he said. Water, coffee, and food for breakfast and lunch were available.
Lear-Sadowsky said luckily no civilians or firefighters were injured during the fire.
