Fort Myers recycling facility catches fire; smoke visible for miles

Thick smoke erupted from a Fort Myers recycling facility on Tuesday evening as flames tore through the building.

Nearly a dozen fire units responded to the scene on the 3700 block of Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard, where Mome Metals Recycling and Allied Recycling operates.

Chief Tracy McMillion of the Fort Myers Fire Department said, “The fire was actually called in around 6:22 p.m., and as we were approaching the fire, many of our crews actually reported a large smoke column, probably about three or four times as big as it is now.”

When WINK News arrived, Fort Myers firefighters were actively battling the flames.

“We’ve got a really good knockdown of the fire, and we’re looking at having a much shorter night than what we would normally have,” said McMillion.

After sundown, it was still all hands on deck.

The facility manager, Mohammd Obiedat, discussed the possible cause of the fire.

“What we think is could be a battery inside one of the cars, the one we buy. So it might be that’s the reason for starting the fire,” said Obiedat.

Obiedat expressed his gratitude for the fire department’s quick response.

“I want to just thank the fire department for the quick response. They are great people. They really saved my yard, and we really appreciate their efforts.”

The facility plans to install new sprinklers early Wednesday morning and expects to resume operations shortly.