Fire at Marlborough waste centre prompts warning

Monday, 28 January 2019

The cause of the fire at the Waste Sorting Centre in Blenheim is unknown, but it has prompted a reminder to residents.

A fire at a council dump has sparked a warning about potentially explosive rubbish.

The January 14 fire left the Marlborough Waste Sorting Centre in Blenheim with smoke and heat damage and covered in black soot, prompting Marlborough District Council to warn residents about what they put in their rubbish.

A fire on January 14 left the Marlborough Waste Sorting Centre in Blenheim with smoke and heat damage and covered in black soot.

The council's solid waste manager Alec McNeil said they would not be able to determine the cause of the fire.

'What we do know from experience and what's happened in other areas is that things like batteries are a potential source for fire.'

Squashed or broken have the potential to be a fire source, says Marlborough District Council solid waste manager Alec McNeil.

Solid waste manager Alec McNeil says people need to be careful what they put in the rubbish.

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Marlborough District Council will hear the full extent of the damage by the end of January.

If batteries were squashed or broken open, they could start a fire, he said.

'Especially post Christmas with all the consumption people have gone through, a lot of that will be your triple A and your double A batteries.

'If you do have them, there is an alternative for dealing with it than putting it in your wheelie bin.'

Batteries, solvent based cleaners like bleach, paint and rags that have been dipped in turpentine all have the potential to be flammable, as do weed killers, sprays, lawn mower petrol, old ammunition, boat flares, and a range of chemicals and poisons.

'The list is endless, but some of these might resonate with people,' McNeil said.

Residents doing a clear-out might came across things they didn't know how to correctly dispose of, he said.

'You're wanting to clear everything out and you're not quite sure what's there.

'That's when you might get the issue.'

There were separate disposal containers at each of the waste transfer stations throughout townships in Marlborough, where hazardous waste could be deposited, he said.

The $3.3 million Waste Sorting Centre, which opened two years ago had suffered significant smoke and heat damage, McNeil said.

Assessments were being conducted to work out whether the building's cladding needed a 'clean down' or if it needed to be completely replaced, he said.

'What we want at the end of this is a facility that's fit for purpose. It's not a question of going in a doing a quick clean up.'

The heat damaged the wiring infrastructure in the facility, McNeil said.

Council would hear the full extent of the damage by the end of January.

'Then we'll have a clearer picture on the scale of what we'll need to reinstate and a timeline.'

Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade fire chief officer Nigel Botham said the fire was caught sparking to life about 3.30am on the centre's security cameras in a skip in the middle of the facility, two hours before emergency services arrived, Botham said.

It then spread between two skips, side by side, one full of wood and one full of general rubbish, which were in the process of being recycled, he said.

'It could have been bubbling away for days. We'll never know the cause, unfortunately,' he said.

'It's probably lucky it doesn't happen very often. People need to be wise about what they put in the rubbish.'

For more information about how to deposit hazardous waste visit marlborough.govt.nz

The Waste Sorting Centre was open under revised hours of 8.00 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday and weekends 10.00am to 4.00am.