Fire and Emergency NZ crews responded to an alarm activation in Oamaru’s Industrial Place that was a fire at a refuse transfer station. A fire at a Waste Management refuse transfer station on the outskirts of Oamaru was possibly caused by a lithium-ion battery in a waste pile. A Waste Management spokesman said that while the cause of the fire is still being investigated, in their “experience these fires tend to be caused by lithium-ion batteries, such as used in laptops and trade tools. On arrival fire crews found smoke coming out of the large commercial property and requested additional support as the property was on fire upon further investigation. “The crews put out the fire and completely left the scene at 2am today,” a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said.

Source: Stuff September 13, 2021 22:30 UTC