The Orrington fire chief is skeptical that a lithium-ion battery caused the fire that broke out Tuesday evening at the town’s trash facility, and says the true cause may never be known.
A large fire was detected at the Eagle Point Energy Center trash processing facility around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The facility, formerly known as Penobscot Energy Recovery Co., is expected to burn for days.
Orrington Fire Chief Scott Stewart was skeptical that the cause of the fire was a lithium-ion battery.
“I would not believe that to be the case,” Stewart told the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday morning. “I can’t rule it out. Obviously we’ll never know what truly caused it.”
Stewart’s comments contradict a statement released Wednesday morning by Eagle Point Energy Center that said a lithium-ion battery was believed to cause the fire. That statement was issued before anyone was able to safely enter the burning warehouse.
The true cause of the fire will likely never be known because of the extent of damage, but it’s likely that it started in the middle of the trash pile, Stewart said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Former PERC plant manager Henry Lang also doubted a lithium-ion battery started the fire. The facility has not accepted new trash since September 2023, and during that time any batteries in the facility would self drain and be unable to start a fire, especially if they are not charging.
It likely would take something abruptly changing the shape of the case, like it getting run over, to start a fire, Lang said. The plant had issues in the past with lithium-ion batteries causing fires when they were ground up, Lang said.
Flames were extending through the roof of the building when firefighters arrived Tuesday night, Stewart said. There were people at the facility and it’s unclear why the fire grew so quickly.
The fire is contained to the tipping floor and firefighters are trying to limit the risk to the public, Stewart said.
It is one the largest fires the facility has seen, Stewart said.
Nearby residents should follow the guidelines from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and stay indoors when possible and keep windows closed, he said. The area affected by the smoke varies as the wind shifts, so everyone should take precautions.
It will be days before the fire is fully out and it’s still not safe for firefighters to enter the building. Numerous government agencies and the company that owns the facility are working on a plan to extinguish the fire that will likely include dismantling the trash pile.
Around 45 firefighters from surrounding departments helped at the fire Tuesday night.
The fire hydrants at the facility were operational when crews arrived Tuesday, but the need for water outpaced the water pressure, Stewart said. That meant crews had to set up tanker trucks to help fight the fire.
