Nobody was seriously injured in an October 3 fire that broke out at 10:20 a.m. at the FCM Recycling site at 2900 Loyalist St. in Cornwall.
While 58 individuals were inside the building at the time, they were safely evacuated. Three were assessed by paramedics but not transported to hospital, reports the Cornwall Fire Service.
“The cause of the fire was improper sorting and handling of a lithium-ion battery pack. The result of this resulted in catastrophic failure, thermal runaway and subsequent fire. Fire was located in a compaction machine used as part of the recycling process,” the department says.
Some 12 on-duty firefighters responded; four additional firefighters were called in off duty to provide emergency coverage to the municipality.
Damage was limited to the machinery; an estimated dollar value has not been assessed yet.
