Crews put out fire at Sterling recycling plant one day later

STERLING, Illinois (KWQC) - The Sterling Fire Department announced the fire at a recycling plant has now been extinguished one day later.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, multiple fire departments responded to the fire at Cimco Recycling located at 13509 Galt Road.

Sterling firefighters asked residents to avoid the area to help emergency services assist on scene at the time of the fire.

Crews left the scene and there were no injuries reported.

On Wednesday morning, the Sterling Fire Department announced the fire was burning again. According to a news release, crews were alerted the waste pile smoldering from Tuesday’s fire had lit up again due to winds in the area.

Firefighters from the Sterling and Rock Falls fire departments were dispatched to the scene again at approximately 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday and were able to leave at noon when everything was deemed under control.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. However, Deputy Chief Mike Dettman says the fire originated in a pile of materials awaiting to be recycled.

No damage to any buildings or equipment at the facility has been reported.

The Sterling Fire Department says it was among 18 fire departments involved for the incident.

The city of Rock Falls wants residents to be aware they may experience rusty water due to the fire. Officials say this is due to a large amount of water being used from multiple fire hydrants on Tuesday. Officials say they don’t have an estimated time of when the water will be back to normal.

Copyright 2021 KWQC. All rights reserved.