​​The Orrington fire chief is skeptical about the garbage factory fire declaration

The Orrington fire chief is skeptical that a lithium-ion battery caused the fire that broke out Tuesday night at the city's landfill and says the true cause may never be known.

A major fire was discovered at the Eagle Point Energy Center waste processing plant around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The plant, formerly known as Penobscot Energy Recovery Co., is expected to burn for days.

Orrington Fire Chief Scott Stewart was skeptical that the cause of the fire was a lithium-ion battery.

“I wouldn’t think that’s the case,” Stewart told the Bangor Daily News Wednesday morning. “I can't rule it out. Obviously we’ll never know what really caused it.”

Stewart's comments contradict a statement released Wednesday morning by the Eagle Point Energy Center that said a lithium-ion battery was believed to have caused the fire. This statement was made before anyone could safely enter the burning warehouse.

The true cause of the fire will likely never be known due to the extent of the damage, but it is likely that it started in the middle of the trash pile, Stewart said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Former PERC plant manager Henry Lang also doubted that a lithium-ion battery had started the fire. The facility has stopped accepting new waste since September 2023, and during this time all batteries in the facility will self-discharge and will not be able to start a fire, especially if not charged.

Something would likely have to happen that would abruptly change the shape of the enclosure, such as driving over it to start a fire, Lang said. The plant has had problems in the past with lithium-ion batteries causing fires when shredded, Lang said.

When firefighters arrived Tuesday evening, the flames reached to the roof of the building, Stewart said. There were people in the facility and it is unclear why the fire broke out so quickly.

The fire was contained to the dumping ground and firefighters were trying to limit the danger to the public, Stewart said.

It was one of the largest fires the facility has ever seen, Stewart said.

Residents should follow Maine Department of Environmental Protection guidelines and stay indoors and keep windows closed when possible, he said. The area affected by smoke varies depending on wind direction, so everyone should take precautions.

It will still be days before the fire is fully extinguished and it is still not safe for firefighters to enter the building. Numerous government agencies and the company that owns the facility are working on a plan to extinguish the fire, which will likely include dismantling the trash pile.

Around 45 firefighters from surrounding departments helped with the fire on Tuesday evening.

The facility's hydrants were operational when crews arrived Tuesday, but water demand exceeded water pressure, Stewart said. This meant that emergency services had to deploy tankers to help fight the fire.