Did a battery catch fire? Fire at recycling plant in Waltenschwil AG - heavy smoke

A fire broke out at a recycling plant in Waltenschwil AG early on Wednesday morning. The canton warned residents.

A fire broke out in Waltenschwil AG early on Wednesday morning. On Alertswiss, the canton warned of heavy smoke development. "The fire is causing a strong, unpleasant odor," it said. Residents were asked to close windows and doors and turn off ventilation systems.

A recycling plant on Titlisstrasse was affected, according to the Aargau cantonal police. During his inspection tour, the employee of a security service noticed smoke at around 4 a.m. and alerted the fire department.

They were quickly on the scene and found a meter-high pile of electronic waste in flames. Thick, black smoke was rising from the source of the fire and could be seen throughout the area. It could also be smelled from afar, but posed no danger to the population or the environment.

Did the battery catch fire?

The fire department quickly brought the fire under control. Nevertheless, it took until shortly after 7:30 a.m. for the last embers to be extinguished and the smoke to be cleared. No one was injured. There was also no damage to the company's infrastructure.

The cause of the fire is still unclear. The main cause is that a battery in the waste disposal material had ignited.