SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, August 25, 2025, at a San Francisco’s Transfer Station and Hazardous Waste Facility or better known as Recology on 501 Tunnel Avenue in the Little Hollywood District, a one-alarm fire broke out on a large pile of metal debris within the construction recycling area. The San Francisco Fire Department was alerted to it just before 12 noon, and it was put out by 12:35 p.m. It was in a small section of the recycling center, so it was easily contained.
The cause of the fire is not known at this time; it is still under investigation. One of the Recology employees had been looked at for possible chances of smoke inhalation. Other Recology employees pitched into help move the metal piles using a loader. They assisted the firefighters from the San Francisco Fire Department, who arrived at the scene to put out the fire.
The blazes that occurred at the Recology Center are mainly caused by improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries. The San Francisco residents should not put lithium-ion batteries in the same containers as their other recyclables. There are other ways to dispose of these batteries besides delivering them to the Recology Center. Local residents can leave them for curbside pickup or battery buckets for apartment living. They can also leave them at local drop-off locations.
