Firefighters were still working to contain an Albuquerque fire at a recycling plant in the city’s South Valley after crews were called to 4220 Broadway Blvd SE around 6:35 p.m. Bernalillo County Fire Rescue said the first arriving firefighters from Truck 38 found flames burning near a building and quickly requested a 1st alarm response.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue was dispatched to help, and its Engine 2 was already in the area on another outside fire when it reportedly spotted smoke from the recycling plant blaze and responded to the scene. As the response continued, the fire was upgraded to a 2nd alarm, a sign that crews were having to commit more resources to keep the flames under control.
The focus for firefighters was not only to knock down the blaze but also to stop it from spreading to nearby structures. The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office shut down Broadway Blvd SE in both directions at Prosperity Ave as crews worked the scene.
The fire’s escalation from a 1st alarm to a 2nd alarm shows how quickly the response grew after the first units arrived. What remained clear as of publication was that firefighters were still on scene and the immediate priority was containment before the fire could move beyond the recycling plant property.
