Building protected in trash fire at Gilton transfer facility

Visibility challenged firefighters responding to a trash fire inside a Gilton transfer facility on Garner Road at Finch Road just east of the Modesto Airport on Thursday evening. The fire was extinguished with no damage to the building.

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District responded to the roughly 6:35 p.m. dispatch. The first engine on scene reported heavy smoke conditions inside the building, so the call was elevated to a two-alarm working structure fire, drawing additional resources. Modesto Fire Department assisted.

“It was difficult to operate inside due to visibility, however crews did a great job knocking down the fire,” Stanislaus Consolidated Battalion Chief Rick DeHart wrote in a report. “ ... Water was directed at the pile. As the visibility got better, a loader began pulling the pile apart, separating the burned from the unburned.

“Crews were on scene for three hours on this incident. Units from Keyes, Hughson and Denair assisted by providing coverage for ... stations.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 8:42 AM with the headline "Building protected in trash fire at Gilton transfer facility."