Fire in trailer of compacted garbage at Mountlake Terrace transfer station extinguished after four hours

Screenshot from South County Fire video

South County Firefighters, including Hazmat Technicians, worked to extinguish a fire in a trailer of compacted garbage at the SW County Recycling and Transfer Station in Mountlake Terrace. 

 

A 911 call around 10:40am reported a boom inside the trailer. 

MLT residents were warned that they might experience low water pressure as firefighters continued working to get this fire out and to stay indoors if there was smoke in their area.

After working for more than four hours, firefighters extinguished a fire inside a trailer of compacted garbage at the Southwest Recycling and Transfer Station in Mountlake Terrace around 3pm on Monday, December 9, 2024.

About two dozen firefighters worked to put out the fire, which was very challenging to access. Once firefighters cooled the trailer, transfer station staff helped move the trailer so the doors could be closed. 

Enough water was then poured inside the trailer to extinguish the fire. We are thankful no one was hurt.

Firefighters continued checking through the evening, to make sure the fire did not reignite. The Department of Ecology also responded to this incident to mitigate any potential runoff.

Though the exact cause of this fire could not be determined, it’s likely something combustible that was improperly tossed in the garbage. 

Batteries, combustible items (hot ashes, solvents, etc.) and other hazardous waste should never be thrown in your trash. See where you can dispose of these items HERE