Saline County landfill fires caused by ‘few dozen’ batteries

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Officials have determined the cause of several small landfill fires that popped up at the Salina Municipal Landfill on Monday.

A news release from Salina Public Works says the fires were caused as a “direct result of a few dozen Lithium, Ni-Cad and alkaline batteries” that were disposed of in one load at the landfill.

The release says Lithium batteries have a tendency to start fires when they are impacted by the machinery at the landfill or in the sanitation trucks as they are being hauled.

According to the release, in Feb. 2018, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Status Report on High Energy Density Batteries Project reported over 25,000 overheating or fire incidents involving more than 400 types of lithium battery-powered consumer products that occurred over a five-year period.

Residents of Saline County and local nonprofits can safely and properly dispose of Lithium, sealed lead acid (<11 pounds), button cell (watch), rechargeable Lithium-Ion, Ni-Cad and NiMh batteries at the Salina Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at 315 S. Elm St. in Salina.

For more information, you can visit Salina’s website by clicking here.