Second fire in months at Heinola waste plant

A fire broke out overnight at the Kuusakoski waste processing plant in Heinola, burning hundreds of cubic metres of containers holding electronic waste, Yle reports.

The blaze is the second at the facility in four months, following an earlier fire in its electronic waste storage in early April. Both incidents triggered hazard warnings due to potentially toxic smoke from burning batteries, plastics, and other materials.

Tuomas Haikka, the company’s head of responsibility and community relations, said the April fire was likely caused by a lithium battery ignition. Investigators are reviewing security and thermal camera footage to determine the cause of the latest fire, which involved incoming electrical devices awaiting dismantling—suggesting another lithium battery may have been the source.

Haikka noted that batteries are the leading global cause of fires at recycling plants. After the April incident, the plant upgraded its electronic scrap handling hall with an automatic fire suppression system.

Operations are expected to return to normal by Monday, with cleanup work underway over the weekend. Haikka said the burned material is likely unsalvageable.