A load of recycling that went up in flames at the San Martin Transfer Station yesterday turned into a rude wake‑up call for South Valley residents, drawing multiple Santa Clara County fire crews and sparking a shelter‑in‑place warning for nearby neighborhoods.
The fire was reported around 7:22 AM. Workers on site quickly pulled apart the burning material and started soaking it with water while firefighters rolled in. Crews arrived to find the blaze had already spread into parts of a nearby structure and spent the morning working to get everything under control. Residents who caught a whiff of smoke were urged to stay inside and seal up windows and doors until the air cleared.
According to KRON4, the fire broke out at the San Martin Transfer Station, listed in county records as Zone SCC‑159, near Morgan Hill. The outlet reported that multiple crews and apparatus were dispatched to the scene and that the shelter‑in‑place warning covered the immediate surrounding area. KRON4 also noted that the facility is run by Recology South Valley.
HazMat Checks and Shelter Warning
By late morning, the situation had calmed down. Shortly before noon, the Santa Clara County Fire Department said the blaze was under control, and HazMat 72 had completed plume modeling and air monitoring before officials lifted the shelter‑in‑place order, SFGATE reported. The outlet added that fire crews planned to stick around for the rest of the day to deal with any remaining hot spots but did not expect major effects on nearby homes or businesses. Fire officials told the paper they believe a recycling load ignited and said investigators are still working to pinpoint the cause.
Why Recycling Loads Can Ignite
Fires like this are becoming an unwelcome trend for recycling and transfer stations, where one damaged battery in the wrong place can turn a routine load into a problem. The EPA warns that lithium‑ion batteries can be ignitable and should not be tossed in with regular household recycling. Instead, the agency recommends dropping them at hazardous‑waste sites or participating retail locations that collect used batteries separately.
Industry reporting has clocked hundreds of fires at waste and recycling facilities in recent years tied to batteries and other hazardous materials, a reminder that one tossed device can lead to a very expensive mess. For a deeper look at those trends, see Waste Dive.
About the Transfer Station
The San Martin Transfer Station handles garbage, mixed recycling, yard trimmings and bulky items for the South Valley area and is operated by Recology South Valley, according to SFGATE. Regional recycling listings place the facility at 14070 Llagas Ave. in San Martin. For residents looking to drop off material, RecycleStuff publishes the site’s hours and contact information.
How Residents Can Stay Safe
County fire officials and local outlets advised that anyone who smells smoke in the area should head indoors and keep windows and doors shut until conditions improve, guidance echoed in social media updates cited by KRON4. It is basic advice, but on a smoky morning it can make a real difference for people with respiratory issues.
If you are getting rid of lithium‑ion batteries, the EPA suggests taping the battery terminals and using dedicated drop‑off programs rather than tossing them into curbside recycling or household trash. For those who live or work near the San Martin facility, officials recommend keeping an eye on county fire information channels for any follow‑up updates.
