ST. GEORGE — Firefighters responded to a dumpster fire at an apartment complex in St. George on Thursday evening. While metaphorical dumpster fires seem to be aplenty these days, firefighters have to approach actual dumpster fires with caution due to the unknowns of what’s contained within.
The fire occurred at the Desert Rose Apartments at 2929 E. 450 North sometime after sundown when it was reported to the St. George Fire Department. While a fire had ignited in the dumpster, residents appeared to have put out most of the fire with extinguishers by the time firefighters arrived, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said.
The fire produced a large amount of smoke, however, which was noticed by Desert Rose resident Catie Ortega. In an email to St. George News, she related seeing the emergency lights from the responding fire engine, and when she opened her door for a closer look, the smoke rolled into her apartment.
“I ran outside to see what was happening and there was thick smoke everywhere,” Ortega wrote. “I could see very tall flames and ran back inside screaming that we needed to leave … I looked back and noticed that it wasn’t a building on fire, but it was a large dumpster.”
Though the fire was confined to the dumpster and proved to be little threat to the surrounding area, Stoker said there are several points firefighters have to consider when approaching such fires.
Primarily, he pointed to the fact they have no idea what could be inside the dumpster.
“We have to handle them carefully,” the fire chief said. “We never know what’s in a dumpster.”
This can include pressurized cans that have been thrown away and can cause explosions during a fire, as well as improperly disposed industrial waste and generally hazardous materials that can be quietly dumped in area dumpsters overnight.
“This can lead to significant fires,” Stoker said. “You just don’t know what’s in there.”
As it can be expensive to properly dispose of certain chemical and industrial waste, some people choose to bypass the cost – and subsequent safety regulations – to get rid of it. This can include solvents and other chemicals that are harmful to breathe, which is why firefighters use air packs when approaching a dumpster fire as a precautionary measure.
“No smoke is safe to breathe at a dumpster fire, and often smoke at dumpster fires can be the most toxic of all fires,” according to a 2010 article on FireRescue1.com.
“This will always vary and will depend on the specific contents of the dumpster. We must go into all dumpster fires assuming the worst case scenario so we are always prepared,” the article further states. “Assuming there are no exposure issues, there is no reason to rush into a dumpster fire and put firefighters at risk of injury. Take the time to correctly place the apparatus and ensure you have a positive water source for the operation.”
While some dumpsters are in enclosures that help separate them from nearby structures, this can also cause a problem when access to the dumpster is locked.
People tend to pile their boxes of garbage around the dumpster whenever they can’t throw it inside the dumpster, Stoker said. These stacks of trash can burst into flame if a fire within a dumpster produces enough radiant heat, he said.
However, in order to keep potential dumpster fires from ever becoming much of a threat to neighboring structures, fire officials work with developers on where to place the dumpster sites.
Just like with any other fire, Stoker said, you have to be careful.
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