A stray lithium-ion battery turned a normal Tuesday at the Medina County Solid Waste District transfer station in Westfield Township into a smoky mess, but firefighters snuffed the blaze before it turned into a full-on disaster.
Crews were called out around 5:10 p.m. and upgraded the call to a working commercial structure fire as they arrived, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. When firefighters entered the two-story processing building, they found heavy smoke pouring from a large pile of trash. The station’s sprinkler system had already kicked in and was slowing the fire while mutual-aid departments joined Westfield Fire & Rescue on the line.
Authorities said the blaze was likely started by an improperly discarded lithium-ion battery that rode in with the regular trash, according to Cleveland.com. The facility is owned by Medina County and operated by Rumpke, officials said. No workers or responders were reported hurt, and crews had the fire contained in roughly 25 minutes before chasing lingering hot spots in the processing area.
Township Wants County To Pay Up After String Of Calls
For Westfield Township officials, this is not a one-off headache. Trustees have been openly frustrated with how often fire crews are being called to the transfer station and in January signed off on a resolution to bill the county for each emergency response, Cleveland.com reports.
Fire officials say Westfield crews have responded to at least 13 incidents at or tied to the transfer station since 2023. Trustee Jim Likley said “discussions with the county about costs remain ongoing.” The township typically uses a third-party cost-recovery service to calculate charges for longer runs.
High-Tech Eyes And Rovers Patrol The Trash Piles
Rumpke has rolled out some extra hardware in an effort to spot trouble before it erupts. The company uses a “Fire Rover” system, a thermal camera that constantly checks trash piles for hot spots and can trigger a mounted spray nozzle to hit problem areas while firefighters are on the way.
According to Rumpke, the rover setup helps crews identify and cool hot spots quickly so on-site suppression and local departments can get ahead of a potential blaze.
Battery Disposal: What Not To Toss With The Trash
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that lithium-ion batteries and products that contain them should never be tossed into household garbage or curbside recycling, since they can spark and ignite if crushed or damaged in collection trucks or at facilities.
The EPA recommends taping battery terminals or putting individual batteries in separate plastic bags, then taking them to designated battery recycling locations or household hazardous waste drop-offs. The agency offers more details on its online battery guidance pages.
County and township officials say they plan to keep working with Rumpke and mutual-aid departments to tighten detection and response protocols at the transfer station. For now, they credit the quick fire response, the activated sprinkler system and the newer detection tools with keeping this latest incident from becoming something far worse.
