GREENVILLE, Mich. — A fire broke out at a Montcalm County recycling center Thursday afternoon.
The call came in just after 12:30 p.m. about a fire in the backyard of Greenville Steel Sales, according to the Greenville Department of Public Safety.
When crews arrived, they found a pile or two of debris smoking and in flames.
Greenville DPS says crews tried to put out the fire but the main pile was very large and contained a lot of combustibles which made the fire grow rapidly.
Montcalm County Central Dispatch tells FOX 17 that the fire was under control before 4 p.m.; however, crews stayed on scene a little while longer and worked to put out hot spots.
"This area is out in the township, outside of the city of Greenville, so there are no hydrants out in this area so water has to be trucked in. After we started deploying our water on the fire, [we] realized that we would need more gallons so we activated the area township fire departments for assistance," Interim Director of the Greenville Department of Public Safety Brian Blomstrom told FOX 17 Thursday. "Luckily, with what we had for personnel and trucks, we were able to contain the fire to the corner where it was and the damage basically stayed within the two piles of where it originated."
Seven departments responded to the fire.
"We looked at our neighbors and who has large tenders that can be deployed at a very quick and rapid basis so as you reach out further and further, it takes longer and longer for those trucks to arrive," Blomstrom added.
Nationally paid on-call or volunteer firefighters make up about 65 percent of firefighters, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council. In Michigan, paid on-call and volunteer firefighters make up 75 percent of crews.
"When you have daytime fires, and this is anywhere in West Michigan and especially in the rural areas, as you call for additional township fire departments and city fire departments that have on-call people, during the day, many of them are at work, at their normal job," Blomstrom explained. "So you have to leave your normal job, come to the fire department to grab a truck or they're not available so we reach out more to further departments on things like this because the ability to get all those trucks to come is a little more difficult during the day than at night and that is just a normal Michigan thing right now where we're looking, in the fire service, to bring in more firefighters. And especially, those that are available during the day."
We asked Blomstrom why people should sign up to help out. He said, "Because it is great to serve your community. To be able to come in and serve other people's emergencies in their time of need and to be that person as part of your community and to come in and serve your community is very rewarding. Not just for those you're helping, but yourself as well."
Greenville DPS says there are no reported injuries and investigators are still trying to figure out what exactly caused the fire.
