Burning garbage destroys NW Redmond trailer

Burning material tossed in the trash — possibly still-hot barbecue ashes or charcoal briquettes –likely ignited a fire Friday that destroyed a trailer full of waste at a Redmond garbage transfer station, putting up a smoke column visible over a wide area, officials said.

Redmond Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched shortly after 11 a.m. to Deschutes County’s Negus Transfer Station at 2400 Northeast Maple Avenue, Battalion Chief Ron Hawkins said.

They arrived to find a semi-trailer full of trash fully ablaze, he said. The first engine crew controlled the fire and kept it from spreading to nearby trailers and vegetation. Hawkins said water tenders flooded the trailer with about 25,000 gallons of water, to make sure the blaze was fully out.

There were no injuries reported to firefighters or bystanders. Losses to a county transfer trailer were estimated at $80,000, in terms of the replacement cost. Mutual-aid assistance was provided by Crooked River Ranch Fire & Rescue.

“Redmond Fire and Rescue and the Deschutes County landfills would like to remind you to ensure your waste dumped at the transfer stations is free of burning material, such as ashes and briquettes such as those cleaned out of barbecues and wood stoves,” Hawkins said in a news release.

Hawkins said while the Fourth is a big time for barbecues, it’s also possible fireworks were involved, reminding everyone to soak or wet down any hot material, to ensure they are completely out.