Canton of Aargau - Fire at recycling yard in Switzerland - flames several meters high
At a recycling yard in Waltenschwil, in the Swiss Canton of Aargau, a fire broke out in the night. A meter-high smoke column was visible over the terrain from a distance. According to the police, a meter-high pile of electronic scrap had caught fire. The police spoke of dense, black and foul-smelling smoke. However, there was no danger to the population or the environment, they added. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire.
"The cause of the fire is still unclear", the police stated. "A battery in the waste, which ignited itself, is currently the leading hypothesis." No one was injured and there was no damage to the recycling yard infrastructure.
Waltenschwil is approximately 50 kilometers south of Waldshut-Tiengen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
- The smoke column from the fire at the recycling center in Waltenschwil was noticed by residents in nearby Aarau, Switzerland.
- The police in Aargau, where Waltenschwil is located in Switzerland, are investigating if electronic waste from the local recycling center in Waltenschwil could be related to the fires at the Aarau's recycling center.
- After the fire was extinguished, the authorities decided to temporarily shut down operations at the Waltenschwil recycling center, which processes electronic waste, to prevent any potential new incidents.
- The police in Aargau have requested the assistance of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment to help them identify potential sources of electronic waste that could lead to fires, considering the increasing number of fires related to electronic waste in Switzerland and neighboring countries like Germany.
