Written by Stephen H Goodale
The flames are out, and the smoke is clearing this afternoon following a fire at the Tenenbaum Recycling Center in North Little Rock on Sunday. The fire burned overnight and was extinguished at 11:45 this morning, burning for more than 20 hours.Two plant workers who were shredding junk cars around 3:30 p.m. Sunday noticed the fire. The North Little Rock Fire Department was notified shorty after. When firefighters arrived, the pile of cars was fully engulfed and the plume of smoke could be seen more than 20 miles away. The NLRFD was assisted by units from the East Pulaski County and Scott Fire Departments.”One of the biggest problems is the size of the pile of cars,” Lt. Mark Shoemaker with the NLRFD said. “The fire is so deep-seated it’s difficult for them to get water down to the fire.”Water to fight the fire was an issue as crews had only one main hydrant to work from. Shoemaker said the decision was made to truck water in from nearby hydrants.As of Monday afternoon, there was still no word on how the fire started. NLRFD officials said they believe it was an accident.”They bring those old cars in with the oil and gas still inside,” Shoemaker said. “A spark from one of the cranes could have ignited some fumes.”The fire departent will wrap up its investigation, and the official cause will be released in the next several days, Shoemaker said.
