POCATELLO — A fire at a Pocatello recycling business that temporarily shut down a busy highway on Tuesday is under investigation.
The blaze at Pacific Recycling on Highway 30 near the Simplot plant was reported at about 11:30 a.m. and generated a large amount of black smoke that could be seen from the other side of Pocatello.
The fire prompted Pocatello police to shut down Highway 30 between Ridge Street and Philbin Road as firefighters responded and battled the fire, which was burning amid a large pile of scrap metal, the fire department said.
The fire did not result in any injuries or spread to any buildings.
Weston Kons, Pacific Recycling general manager, said the fire was “pretty simple” and it was contained quickly enough that it did not cause damage.
“A spark ignited the pile, and the crew did a great job keeping the fire under control,” Kons said. “With the team effort between the Pacific Recycling crew and the fire department we were able to keep it under control and get it remediated in less than 20 minutes. We have safety measures in place, but I just felt that it was in our best interest to call for help beyond the fire control measures we have in the yard as a safety precaution.”
The fire was mostly out and Highway 30 had been reopened by 12:30 p.m.
Authorities did not speculate on what might have cause the fire and said Tuesday afternoon that the blaze was under investigation.