This article is about 7 years old

Fire crews battle blaze at Montgomery Co. recycling plant

Crews used nearly 1 million gallons of water to contain the fire at Georgetown Paperstock Recycling Plant. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
Crews used nearly 1 million gallons of water to contain the fire at Georgetown Paperstock Recycling Plant. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
(1/20)
Crews used nearly 1 million gallons of water to contain the fire at Georgetown Paperstock Recycling Plant. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
Crews from every fire station in Montgomery County responded to the fire and firefighters worked overnight to put out the blaze. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
Pete Piringer said a dozen so firefighters are still on the scene on Saturday morning working to completely put out the blaze. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
An overhead look at the fire. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
As of Saturday morning, crews were still on the scene working to completely put out the fire with others ready to assist if needed. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
More than 100 firefighters from every fire station in Montgomery County worked to put out the blaze. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)
No one was injured in the fire but it caused more than $100,000 worth of damage. (Courtesy Pete Piringer)
Crews used nearly 1 million gallons of water to contain the fire at Georgetown Paperstock Recycling Plant. (Courtesy Pete Piringer via Twitter)

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of firefighters from every from every fire station in Montgomery County battled a fire overnight and into Saturday afternoon at a recycling plant in Rockville, Maryland.

While the fire was contained on Friday, it wasn’t put out until Saturday evening.

Pete Piringer, a spokesman for Montgomery County fire department, said crews cleared the scenes shortly before 1:30 p.m. Saturday and roads that were blocked subsequently reopened

The Georgetown Paper Stock recycling plant in Rockville, Maryland, caught fire Friday afternoon.

Piringer said Montgomery County firefighters got the call around 3:30 p.m. on Friday. At around 6:30 p.m., he said the fire has been “contained but far from being out.”

Crews found piles of cardboard, cloth and other materials for recycling on fire. The materials continued to burn, necessitating more fire equipment to be brought in.

Piringer said the two-alarm fire was very labor-intensive. Fire crews remained on the scene through the night.

Some 125 firefighters were on hand to battle the blaze. There is no report of injuries.

Piringer said the managers of the plant told him that there is about $100,000 of damage.

The fire closed roads in the area of East Gude Drive and Southlawn Lane, affecting the evening commute

Below is the area where the fire happened.

WTOP’s Keara Dowd contributed to this report.

Abigail Constantino

Abigail Constantino started her journalism career writing for a local newspaper in Fairfax County, Virginia. She is a graduate of American University and The George Washington University.

Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up