Compactor sets large pile of scrap metal, tires ablaze when crushing car

Big Island firefighters battled a large industrial fire Wednesday that forced the evacuation of the immediate area around the blaze at a business in W.H. Shipman Business Park, between Hilo and Kea‘au, mauka (west) of Highway 11.

Hawai‘i Police Department officers also closed down the street and warned nearby businesses to beware of the smoke filling the area as dark gray — and at times black — clouds of thick gritty clouds billowed into the bright blue morning sky.

Hawai‘i Fire Department got the call from Big Island Scrap Metal, located at 16-168 Kalara St., at 8:51 a.m. Wednesday about a fire in the scrap metal recycling yard at the business.

Engine 5 with the Kea‘au Fire Station was the first unit at the scene, arriving just 9 minutes later.

Firefighters discovered the blaze contained to a pile of scrap metal and large tires about 50-feet-by-50-feet-by-12-feet in size nearly 75% involved in fire under a covered, open steel metal building. They then requested Engine 3 to respond to provide additional manpower.

All Big Island Scrap Metal employees were accounted for and out of the area.

Engine 5 personnel extended two attack lines for initial fire suppression before water supply was secured from a fire hydrant across the street and the deck gun was used for heavy suppression efforts.

Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control by 9:20 a.m., just 20 minutes after Engine 5 first arrived.

Heavy equipment operators with Big Island Scrap Metal used three excavators to dig up and open the pile of scrap metal and tires so firefighters could reach and focus their efforts on the core of the blaze until it was extingushed.

The fire was out by 10:28 a.m. and the last unit was back in quarters at 10:53 a.m.

A total of 11 Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel and seven units responded to the blaze, including the two engines, one tanker, a medical unit and the on-duty battalion chief.

All units cleared the scene upon the fire’s extinguishment and no injuries were reported.

The cause: A vehicle compactor crushing a car sparked the blaze.

Big Island Scrap Metal is also Hawai‘i County’s contracted metal recycling partner, so because of the fire, metal and appliace recycling services at several of the county’s East Hawai‘i transfer stations were closed Wednesday afternoon essentially until further notice.

Hawai‘i County Department of Environmental Management is monitoring the situation and in communication with Big Island Scrap Metal.

Once the business resumes operations, metal and appliance recycling services will be restored and the public will be notified.