Fire Hits Virginia Recycling Operation
July 12, 2006 — Firefighters from six Iron Range departments spent the afternoon fighting a large, smoky blaze involving old tires and scrap materials at the Quad Cities Recycling Center in rural Virginia. The fire was reported to the St. Louis County Communications Center in Virginia around 2:00 p.m. Large plumes of dark smoke could be seen from 15 miles away as the fire grew in intensity. The fire was touched off by a cutting torch, which apparently came in contact with some insulation on a junked appliance. Workers at the recycling center tried in vain to put out the fire with an extinguisher but the fire quickly spread to another materials. Crews from Virginia, Mountain Iron, Eveleth, Gilbert, Fayal Township and Biwabik Township spent several hours fighting the fire while temperatures climbed into the 90's with high humidity. No injuries were reported.
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