Thick black smoke rose over West Phoenix on Sunday as firefighters battled a large recycling-yard blaze near 43rd Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. Neighbors reported seeing heavy plumes for miles while multiple fire units worked the scene. Officials had not immediately released details about injuries or what sparked the blaze.
According to the Phoenix Fire Department, crews “are utilizing a ‘big water’ operation to extinguish the flames from an elevated position,” and firefighters were on scene of a recycling yard fire near 43rd Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. The department shared that update while crews were still actively fighting the fire.
How the ‘big water’ tactic works
A “big water” attack typically relies on ladder trucks and elevated master streams that deliver very high volumes of water from above, a strategy used when standard handlines cannot reach or punch through dense fuel loads. Fire Engineering notes that elevated master streams can flow hundreds to thousands of gallons per minute and are often deployed in a defensive posture or to shield nearby buildings.
Industrial stretch, familiar kind of fire
The blaze broke out in an industrial corridor of west Phoenix that includes transfer stations and recycling facilities. Business listings show a transfer station operated by Weinberger Waste Disposal at 3425 South 43rd Avenue, close to Lower Buckeye Road and near the reported scene. Phoenix has seen major recycling-yard fires before, including a six-alarm blaze in 2021 that brought in hundreds of firefighters, as FOX 10 Phoenix reported.
The environmental fallout from these kinds of fires can be complex. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has outlined its emergency-response role in previous large recycling-yard incidents, noting that the agency has responded to similar fires to monitor air quality and other environmental impacts…