Source: Radio New Zealand
The owner of the landfill said the fire was now under control. (File photo) Pretoria Gordon / RNZ
A blaze at a Waikato landfill may have have been caused by wrongly disposed lithium batteries.
The fire broke out at the Tirohia Landfill, near Paeroa, on Wednesday morning.
Fire and Emergency sent firefighters from several stations.
The fire was now under control and nobody was hurt, the tip’s owners WM New Zealand said.
“Initial reports suggest the fire started when a compactor drove over an item that ignited,” it said.
“It is too early to confirm the cause, but incidents like this are often linked to lithium batteries that have been disposed of incorrectly.”
An investigation was underway, the company said.
WM said there was no risk to workers or the public from the fire.
“Battery fires are becoming more common across the waste sector. When batteries are crushed or damaged, they can ignite and create safety risk.”
The company was urging people to properly get rid of batteries and not throw them out in household rubbish or recycling bins.
Fire and Emergency have been approached for comment.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
