The Hernando County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) heard details about the blaze that destroyed the Hernando County Recycling Center last week during its regular meeting on April 11. “We didn’t miss a beat,” Hernando County Utilities Director Gordon Onderdonk told the panel. Just before 6 a.m. on Saturday, an employee reporting for work at the Hernando County landfill, 14450 Landfill Rd, Brooksville, called 9-1-1 to report that the Recycling Center was on fire.
At the scene, responding crews found the building heavily engaged in fire and partially collapsed.
Because no fire hydrants are at or near the facility’s rural location, water tanker trucks were called to the scene to battle the blaze.
In all, it took crews nearly two hours to bring the fire under control. No injuries were reported in connection to the incident. That was mainly due to the rural location of the incident, said BOCC member Brain Hawkins. “I don’t like to see something like this happen to anyone,” Hawkins said. “But if it had to happen, I’d rather it happen here.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office in Tampa, said Hernando County Public Information Coordinator Dominique Holmes. “Also, the County is currently assessing the damage and reviewing options for recycling,” she said.
Hernando County Utilities Department is also actively working to determine future recycling processing plans at the facility, Holmes said.
“The County is using best efforts to take care of the recycling and will let the public know when we have an update,” she said.
While that investigation continues, residents may still recycle appropriate items at the curb. Those who subscribe to Republic Services’ trash pickup already receive curbside recycling once per week at no additional cost.
