WOODINVILLE — A plume of foul-smelling smoke billowed over Highway 522 Wednesday evening as a pile of scrap caught fire at a metal recycling plant north of Woodinville.
Firefighters responded to Schnitzer Steel at 6:03 p.m., less than a half hour after the last employees left the business, said Snohomish County Fire District 7 spokeswoman Heather Chadwick.
Among the things burning in the pile in the 23700 block of 63rd Ave SE were Styrofoam, rubber and various appliances, she said. The smoke wasn’t believed to be toxic, but Chadwick advised people living nearby to close their windows to deter the smell.
Chadwick said firefighters were able to contain the flames to the one pile, but that it would take some time extinguish. The company was helping tear apart the pile with heavy machinery.
“We’re going to be here for a really long time,” Chadwick said.
The Washington State Patrol and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office helped control traffic affected by the smoke.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation Thursday evening. No injuries were reported.
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