Firefighters’ quick response quells dumpster fire

A thick plume of smoke rose above northwest Madera this week when a large commercial dumpster for a plumbing supply company on Falcon Drive caught fire.

Two fire trucks and law enforcement responded to the blaze, which was down the road from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. The flames burst forth amid Tuesday’s high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit with 28 percent humidity.

“The contents of the dumpster was scraps from Florestone, which make the inserts,” said Madera City Fire Capt. Jerry Fernandez of Cal Fire. “So fiberglass, resins and solvents were in there. With the heat that could have contributed to the combustion as the most probable cause of the fire. Because the contents — resins and solvents — are combustible.”

All the contents of the dumpster were destroyed by the early evening fire, which made it “hard to find out the exact origins.”