CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Spontaneous combustion caused a large mulch fire that broke out Wednesday at a construction facility on South Military Highway in Chesapeake’s Bowers Hill area, Fire Captain Steven Bradley said.
“The fire was determined to be caused by spontaneous combustion. As mulch and wood debris naturally decompose, they generate heat. In a pile this large, that heat can become trapped and build over time until the material reaches a temperature where it can ignite without an outside ignition source,” Bradley said.
Firefighters have been working to extinguish the blaze at the 4000 block of South Military Highway since shortly after noon Wednesday. The fire broke out at Vico Construction, a business that processes mulch, and affected about three acres of the property…