(Updated) Fire at Fredericksburg Scrap Metal off U.S. 1

Plumes of heavy smoke and the odor of burning plastic hovered over Fredericksburg Scrap Metal off U.S. 1 after a fire there today.

Employees at the business at 8732 Jefferson Davis Highway declined comment.

Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Eudailey said U.S. 1 in both direction had to be shut down temporarily to access the water hydrants across the highway from the business. The fire was reported shortly before noon.

“It appears that one of the vehicles that hey had been crushing had some residual fuel in the tank and a spark caused that fuel to ignite,” he said.

As many as 20 crushed vehicles caught on fire. A crane was used to lift the burning crushed cars in the air so they could be sprayed with water. When the fire was out, heavy plumes of smoke with a strong odor started floating above the business. Eudailey said he was unaware that any tires caught fire; the smell was from burning plastic, he said.

The video was taken on my iPhone.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQbsrmc_G9k[/youtube]

Post tags: fire | fredericksburg scrap metal

Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/spotsygovt/2010/08/17/fire-and-fredericksburg-scrap-metal-off-u-s-1/

mustang2

Officials should check to make sure the scrap yard emptied the car gas tanks as required before crushing them.
LarryG

what? MORE GOVERNMENT? shame. tsk tsk
http://MAVRICKinc7@msn.com Martin (Marty) Work

NO Larry: more and appropriate accountability for those in the business of making good money, without putting themselves or the public at risk for doing a poor job of oversight of a risky business. The Government only showed up to put the fire out and were compromised greatly in saving the day, because of a single “spark” that had no good reason for being on company property in the first place. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. It’s called risk management. You can be good at it or pay the consequences at the most inappropriate times. Governments usually follow, only when those with accountability cease to appreciate what they are in business for.

At the present time, METRO and train wrecks would be my best example of not listening to years of GOVERNMENT warnings, which remained unabated until the death toll and lost lives piled up around their best excuses for doing nothing until it was too late.

Such is the nature of taking risks. Should LOCAL government fire a shot across the bow of an inherently dangerous business practice or wait until the next spark takes off running accross Rt 1 at the height of morning or evening rush hour.

How much more of a warning do we need? You might apply the same risk observation about how many tanker cars should be parked in the Mayfield Community’s back yard? It only takes ONE tanker car to creat a hazardous waste ignition. No telling what the cost of clean up would be should there be such an incident.

Spotsylvania Government just decided to underwrite the risk of an EMPTY tanker truck going off, while parked on CSX/ Transflou property.

What do you think the odds are against the risk of one gas tank, with gasoline still in the tank, going off, while being crushed by automation, that didn’t know the difference between gas that should not have been present and a spark that ingnited and burned 20 or more other junk cars, just for good measure?

Better still, tell me why the Spotsylvania County Planning Commission recommended denying the BOWMAN project and the BOS voted to put a risk in place, and so close to surrounding populations in Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg proper?

I won’t even attempt to described how hazardous waste MANAGEMENT would attend to a SPILL, should it occur, and the odds on which Fire and Rescue detail would show first, but decide it was too close to the property line to determine who cleans up and who has first dibs on sitting it out.

GOVERNMENT? Which government are you talking about? And, who said they had all the answers?
LarryG

ha ha ha… so we need MORE Govt and MORE regulation – right?

I’m just asking…

Mustang strikes me as someone who is not so keen on more govt.

I’m not sure where you stand… to be honest.

I presume that you want MORE govt but you want it to work properly… talk to Steve Thomas an DJ about that…
dtelvock

Larry, you are such a trouble maker.
http://MAVRICKinc7@msn.com Martin (Marty) Work

Larry: NO we don’t need more government or regulations UNLESS those who claim we should trust them and that they’ll do the right thing by US in their fiduciary capacity fail to earn that trust, then we should, and have put into place more government and regulations to protect us from false promises. The last 30 years and current circumstances should prove some part of the point I would make. Even Alan Greenspan would concedeto this conclusion.

Perhaps your confusion with me or where I stand on just about any issue is that I don’t pursue political persuasions. I don’t carry around labels attached to my reasoning.

I don’t assume, much like yourself and others have for so many years.

If I’m caused not to trust, and I trust everyone, or be caused to rely someone’s promise and they forefeit that trust by admission or ommission, then I look to forming regulations that will keep the “shortcuts” in check and keep me safe.

I don’t need more government to tell me what an oligarchy is and the consequences of leaving the public at arms length, and have them wait until the next “oops” comes along.

All I’ve said here is that businesses have the same responibility for accountability for their actions and inactions, in the same way any government has, whether large or small, to business accountability and transparency. It’s not rocket science or a political run off for more votes.

D.J. McGuire and Steve Thomas chose the path they wish to live and deliver, but they are just one of many blackboards I attend. They are not my babysitters.

I’m not running for office, they are. How they wish to address their capital venture proposals is entirely up to them.

I have elected to agree on only one issue, with one caveat; agree to disagree. It matters little to me how many second guesser and soothsayers show up to debate my credibility or which fence I might be leaning toward. I like grazing on both sides of any issue. It’s a habit and acquired taste that makes for better and more informed decisions on my part. And, so far, it’s worked for me for a very long time.

MUSTANG2 rates as being one of this blogs better and more informed contributers. I’ve come to trust that she will always speak her mind, knows where the line is drawn, but always leaves us a little wiggle room at the end of her exchanges. This is why I never ASSUME where she stands on any issue, but thought her comment at this blog site was much more succinct than my diatribe. She cut to the chase and I added a little more melodrama to the same thought she started us out with.

That’s about as big as this circle is ever going to get. Risk can only be measured by those who claim to be in change, or until ANOTHER spark hits the fan. Then, it becomes someone elses business, whether they like it or not.
LarryG

Could you translate that to English, Marty?
http://MAVRICKinc7@msn.com Martin (Marty) Work

Sorry Larry, but you would have to be able to think OUTSIDE the BOX before you could possibly understand what I just said.

Not to worry though.

It doesn’t matter to me whether you or anyone else understands what comes of YOUR invitation to discuss the fall out that comes from governments and non existent regulations in the face of worldwide financial meltdowns, Recession, bankruptcies, foreclosures, unemplyment, Gulf Coast oil spills, and recalling 500M contaminated eggs, without the AUTHORITY to do anything about the consequences that corporate AMERICA brings to the public for NOT DOING what THEY should have done BEFORE the public was put at risk.

I don’t even mind your being the perpetual distraction, detour, second guesser, soothsayer, bean counter or all around COMPANY MAN. You will always be a guardian of the gate and the line drawn in the sand that continues to divide truth from anothers fiction.

I have come to appreciate your willingness to play the trouble maker as much I enjoy being the trouble maker, but, from outside the box. Shall we dance some more or would your prefer to wait until we meet again to exchange something more than just sound bites?
mustang2

Late to this thread but must comment on the moronic inability to reason exhibited by you know who. How exactly is enforcing existing laws/regulations/practices/traditions INCREASING government? The appropriate discussion centers instead on what exactly is reasonable and appropriate in regulation and what is an appropraite remedy to address the problem, ie. how large is the problem, how dangerous, etc. One does not address a gnat problem with a sledge hammer but if the problem is real and if it threatens public safety, then it MAY require regulation. But if said regulation kills the business and renders it unable to make a profit, the deliberation must be wide and appropriate and reasonable, not stifling and unreasonable. Larry G has not met a regulation or tax he does not fall in love with. Economies cannot exist in such a climate.
http://MAVRICKinc7@msn.com Martin (Marty) Work

MUSTANG2: late or not, appreciate your looking over our shoulder and keeping us in line. We need all the help we can get. And, you already know and are apparently comfortable with the idea that the door swings both ways. Thanks

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(Updated) Fire at Fredericksburg Scrap Metal off U.S. 1