A significant fire erupted at a recycling center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, causing a massive plume of black smoke to rise over the city on Monday. Firefighters had to combat the intense blaze using aerial ladders due to the high temperatures of the fire. Grand Rapids Fire Chief Brad Brown mentioned that the fire was already substantial within the building when emergency crews arrived at the PADNOS recycling facility around 3 a.m.
Brown explained that the building contained a substantial amount of metal shavings and oils, making the firefighting efforts more challenging. The roof of the building collapsed during the morning hours on Monday. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries from the incident. Authorities indicated that they do not believe anyone was inside the building when the fire broke out, and the structure was still too hot for firefighters to enter on Monday morning. Approximately 40 firefighting crews have been working to extinguish the fire. Brown anticipated that firefighters would remain at the scene for a significant part of the day. Employees from PADNOS were present to assist in opening the building to provide access for fire crews to tackle the blaze.