Fire at Waukegan recycling plant burns for hours; no concern of toxic release, fire marshal says

No concern of any toxic release, officials say

ByABC 7 Digital Team WLS logo
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Fire at Waukegan recycling plant burns for hours; no concern of toxic release, fire marshal says
Waukegan firefighters are still working to put out a fire that broke out at a recycling plant on Lakewood St on Friday evening, the fire marshal said.

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- Firefighters in Waukegan continue to work to put out a fire at a recycling plant that broke out on Friday evening.

They responded to a report of smoke and fire at 345 Lakewood Street at around 5:30 p.m., according to the Fire Marshal Tod Zupec with the Waukegan Fire Department.

Crews found fire in a large debris pile adjacent to the TKG Environmental Services plant. There was minimal fire damage to the inside of the building, Zupec said.

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About 19 hours later, firefighters were still on the scene with equipment operators to fully extinguish the fire, according to Zupec.

The material piles were mostly wood and there is no concern of any toxic release, according to Zupec.

There was no report of injuries.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.