Two-alarm blaze at Modesto recycling center is contained to trash, grass

A two-alarm blaze Sunday afternoon at a recycling center on Morgan Road was contained to a pile of paper and other products, the Ceres Fire Department reported.

Multiple reports of a trash fire were made about 1:50, Ceres Battalion Chief Jeff Serpa said. Because the pile was at the rear of American Recycling, 2070 Morgan, near a building, the call was upgraded to a working commercial structure fire. There have been several fires at the recycling center that have taken multiple hours to extinguish, Serpa said, so his department wanted to ensure it had sufficient resources.

The fire was contained to a 50-by-50-foot pile of recycling material and an area of vegetation, he said. Buildings and an adjacent UPS yard with trucks and trailers were protected.

The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes, and mop-up continued a couple more hours.

Ceres was assisted at the scene by the Modesto and Stanislaus Consolidated fire departments, and Hughson and Keyes firefighters provided coverage.

Traffic was detoured off Morgan Road as the fire was battled.

This story was originally published May 5, 2019 at 5:13 PM.