COLUMBUS, Ohio – Improperly discarded smoking materials are being blamed for sparking a four-alarm blaze at a South Side earlier this month.
Columbus Fire Division Fire and Explosives Unit investigators determined that the fire started behind a large concrete dock on the north side of the property adjacent to Phoenix Recycling Inc., 611 Marion Road, said Capt. Jeff Martin.
The site is a high traffic area is used daily for unloading cardboard and other recycling materials from trucks and Martin says employees admitted to smoking in the area, in violation of company rules.
Martin also noted “high winds, dry conditions and the large quality of readily available combustible materials at the recycling center.”
Authorities say the May 1 fire, which created a cloud of black, potentially toxic smoke that was visible as far away as Jeffersonville and Marysville, caused about $8 million in damage.