Fire at SLO County recycling center causes $500,000 in damage

A fire erupted at a recycling center in Templeton on Saturday evening, resulting in $500,000 of damage to the property, according to Templeton Fire and Emergency Services.

The fire sparked at about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at 3360 La Cruz Way, spreading to a pile inside the building, large piles to the right of the building, and a large tractor, the agency said in a news release.

The blaze was difficult to contain with large debris piles fueling the flames, according to the release. Videos of the fire posted to social media showed a large plume of dark smoke rising from the flames.

The flames were 40 to 50 feet tall during the peak of the fire, according to Templeton Fire Captain Phillip Goldbloom.

Firefighters contained the blaze in two and a half hours, the agency said.

The fire caused $500,000 of damage to the property, according to the news release. The destroyed tractor made up $300,000 to $400,000 of the damage, along with some damage to the outside of the building, Goldbloom said.

The building is still structurally sound, according to Goldbloom.

$2 million of the property was saved, the release said.

On Sunday, a small fire sparked in a pile of recycling inside of the facility, according to Goldbloom. Firefighters contained the blaze in about 10 minutes, he said.

Templeton, Atascadero, Paso Robles and the Atascadero State Hospital fire departments collaborated to extinguish the blaze, along with Cal Fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the agency said.