Oil Cleanup Materials Smolder Outside West Side Restaurant
Madison, WI
Engine Company 7 was called to the 700 block of South Gammon Lane Tuesday for a possible dumpster fire.
Firefighters arrived to find a locked dumpster behind the building with light smoke coming out of it. An employee from one of the stores provided a combination to the lock. When firefighters opened it, they found a large amount of sweeping compound or wood shavings filling about half the dumpster. A section of the shavings was actively smoldering, and the rest of the wood was warm to the touch.
Using approximately 100 gallons of a water/foam mixture, Engine 7 extinguished the smoldering materials. Firefighters did find one small oil boom in the dumpster, similar to something you would use to soak up an oil spill. Left in a dumpster with a black lid, it’s possible the contents heated up and spontaneously combusted. There was no damage to the dumpster or nearby building.
This is the same address at which a large grease spill occurred over the weekend.