No injuries were reported during a fire Thursday at the Columbia Recycling plant on Chattanooga Avenue.
It was the fourth fire at the plant in five years, including fires in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
The cause of the most recent fire is under investigation. It started in a waste bin outside one of the buildings, a Dalton Fire Department official said.
“The two Dumpsters behind buildings four and five caught fire,” fire department Capt. Steve Hollingsworth said. “There was very light structural damage on the outside of the building, as well as some inside damage caused by insulation (that caught fire).”
The fire department received the call at 3:42 p.m. and dispatched two engines. The fire was contained at about 6 p.m., said officials.
“The problem was just smoke,” said Penney Bates, safety director for Columbia Recycling. “The fire was put out immediately and everyone evacuated.”
The fire in 2007 resulted in the death of a line supervisor, two employee injuries and a $41,400 fine from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which cited Columbia Recycling for 11 “serious” safety violations. A Dalton firefighter was hospitalized for heat exhaustion during the fire in 2010.
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