Sedgwick County Fire Marshal Brad Crisp announced Wednesday afternoon that the fire at Park City’s Evergreen Recycle plant is officially under control, although crews will remain on scene for at least another day. Some piles of materials were still smoldering, but there were no more flames as of 3 p.m., county spokesperson Stephanie Birmingham said. Last time the recycling plant caught fire in October 2022, video evidence showed the blaze was a result of mulch and grass spontaneously igniting under wood piles. This time, investigators likely won’t be able to identify a definite cause, Fire Chief Doug Williams told county commissioners Wednesday morning. “It’s going to be one that’s probably going to end up being undetermined. We didn’t have video on this one,” he said. Commissioner David Dennis asked Williams what he expects the bill to be for overtime pay and whether the county should make a claim on the recycling facility’s insurance to cover costs. “One of the problems we get into if we bill for services is, you have to bill everybody,” Williams said. “You can’t just selectively say, ‘Well, this guy really upset us so we’re going to bill him.’ We have to bill everybody. And I think that normally is what causes the failure of these insurances to pay. The first thing they’re going to say is, ‘Well, you didn’t bill the last fire you went to.’”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
