Firefighters responded to multiple flare-ups over the holiday weekend following last week's fire at the Columbia County Recycling and Solid Waste Center near Portage, the city's fire chief said Tuesday.
Portage Fire Chief Troy Haase told News 3 Now his department was called to the recycling center three times over the long weekend -- once Sunday morning and twice on Monday -- due to flare-ups. Each time, firefighters put out the flames, Haase said, noting one fire Monday night "was larger and more concentrated to one area." A large fire broke out at the facility last Wednesday, destroying multiple buildings and sending black smoke billowing into the sky. Haase previously said the fire started with a bale of cardboard before spreading. Firefighters from multiple counties responded to the blaze.