VANCOUVER, Wash. --
An 11,000-pound pile of limestone grindings caught fire Monday at a recycling transfer station in Vancouver.
Fire crews were called to the 6600 block of Northwest Old Lower River Road at about 6 a.m. Because they were initially uncertain about what substance was burning, they called in Hazmat experts to determine the best way to attack the fire.
Although the substance was determined not to be flammable, its chemical properties made the incident complicated, officials said. A Vancouver fire spokesman said the run-off from the firefighting operations is hazardous to the environment and needs to be contained.
The Washington State Department of Ecology was called in to help firefighters contain the hazardous material.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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Hazardous Material Burns In Recycling Center Fire
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