Eagle Recycling near west side falls victim to blaze
It is a rare sight to see Calfire airplanes dropping retardant
on a building and close to an urbanized area, but that was the case
this week in Hollister.
The fire that started Tuesday evening at the Eagle Recycling
plant, destroying most of a building and scorching hundreds of
cardboard bundles, continued throughout Wednesday as Calfire
expected to have it fully contained at some point before today.
Investigators expected to start looking for an official cause,
unclear as of Pinnacle press time, on Wednesday.
The fire started shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday at the 2400 San
Juan Road site near Hollister’s west side. Strong winds circulated
plumes of black smoke and a stench throughout the city. That
weather also had fire crews concerned at the outset over the
possibility it could spread closer to the residential neighborhoods
not far away.
Eagle Recycling near west side falls victim to blaze
It is a rare sight to see Calfire airplanes dropping retardant on a building and close to an urbanized area, but that was the case this week in Hollister.
The fire that started Tuesday evening at the Eagle Recycling plant, destroying most of a building and scorching hundreds of cardboard bundles, continued throughout Wednesday as Calfire expected to have it fully contained at some point before today.
Investigators expected to start looking for an official cause, unclear as of Pinnacle press time, on Wednesday.
The fire started shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday at the 2400 San Juan Road site near Hollister’s west side. Strong winds circulated plumes of black smoke and a stench throughout the city. That weather also had fire crews concerned at the outset over the possibility it could spread closer to the residential neighborhoods not far away.
Firefighters with Calfire and an array of area agencies, including the Hollister Fire Department, had the stacks of cardboard and vegetation largely contained within two hours. The commercial warehouse on the property, however, kept burning throughout Wednesday. Calfire spokesman Jonathan Pangburn noted how firefighters expected to stay on scene possibly into Thursday.
“There is a lot of smoke,” he said Wednesday in the late morning. “The building is still burning.”
Calfire had reported Wednesday morning that 50 percent to 75 percent of the building had been contained, with damages estimated at $300,000 and contents inside the structure completely destroyed.
The unfortunate incident, meanwhile, has been the talk of the city this week with it being impossible for passing drivers to miss, and with the continued smell and smoke near that area.
Resident Ruth Erickson the night of the fire noted how ash and paper had fallen on her home’s deck. That home, though, is about four miles from the fire. Erickson lives on Albright Drive between Sunset Drive and Sunnyslope Road.
She said the charred pieces of paper on her deck were about an inch and a half long.
“I thought, ‘Ahh, this has got to be some kind of paper fire,'” she said, adding how it “stinks” from the fire where she lives.
With the effects from the wind, the fire department also issued an alert Tuesday night urging residents near the San Juan Road fire to keep their windows and doors shut, as a precaution.
As the fire initially grew in strength, several agencies from the region were called in for help, Calfire noted in a statement. They included the Aromas Tri-County Fire Protection District, South Santa Clara County and North County, Marina Fire Department, Monterey County Regional, Seaside Fire Department and the Salinas Fire Department.
