Lithium batteries to blame for First Star Recycling fire

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A Wednesday night turned First Star Recycling into a three-alarm inferno.

First Star believes the fire was likely caused by lithium-ion batteries that are typically found in phones and other electronic devices. They’re not recyclable, yet many still end up in trash cans and recycle bins.

The call for the fire came in around 10:30 p.m., Wednesday night. Then, the second alarm was declared shortly 10 minutes after. A third alarm was called around 11 p.m., bringing about 70 firefighters to the scene.

At one point, a mayday was called in after a captain was separated from a hose line.

The captain was found about five minutes later and was taken out of the building, evaluated by medics, and said to be doing fine.

First Star tells 6 News they have suppressed the fire and have aired out all the smoke from the facility.

First Star CEO Patrick Leahy told 6 News they don’t expect any of this to cause any delays and they’re ready to serve people as soon as possible.

“The benefit of having a big facility, as you’ve seen -- what happens on one side of the facility doesn’t happen on the other side,” Leahy said. “So, we’re able to meet the needs of the city and get past this.”

Leahy also said they’re still investigating if the fire did any damage to their equipment. He also advises people to be cautious and not recycle lithium batteries.

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