Large Fire at Recycling Plant Near West End Mall Now Under Control

The Atlanta Fire Department has said that a large debris fire broke out on Wednesday around noon at Pirkle Inc., located off of Metropolitan Pkwy at 598 Wells St SW.  The fire sent brown smoke up in the air and could be seen from miles away.

The Atlanta Fire Department Information Officer, Janet Ward, indicated in an on-site briefing that the fire was mostly out, and that it started after workers accidentally caught some debris on fire.  Ward says that there were workers doing some welding, and that they accidentally caught some refrigerator insulation on fire, which eventually spread to the large piles of flammable materials that are found at recycling centers.

In the past, recycling plant fires have taken days to burn out.  When Cascade Patch tried to contact Pirkle Inc.. they replied that they "had no comment."