DeWitt, N.Y. — Firefighters have mostly extinguished a large fire at a metal recycling facility in DeWitt, where a pile of recyclable material burned for hours on Sunday.
Just after 3 p.m., DeWitt Fire District Chief Jason C. Green said that the fire was mostly out, but crews remained to check for buried, smoldering fires within the pile.
The fire at 6225 Thompson Road was reported at 6:39 a.m., according to Green. The flames were fully extinguished over 8 hours later.
Green said it took so long to put out the fire due to the large amount of material burning.
Foam was not used to suppress the flames due to environmental concerns, Green said. Firefighting foam contains chemicals that could pose risks to groundwater.
Thick smoke could be seen miles away, but Green said there were no immediate health or safety concerns for nearby neighborhoods.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Thompson Road was closed between James and Grover streets, but reopened just after 2 p.m.
The fire was just outside the city of Syracuse near James Street and Thompson Road.
Firefighters are expected to remain on-site for a while to check for hot spots, Green said.