Electric Generator Destroyed In Sand Springs Landfill Fire

Sand Springs fire investigators are working to determine why a generator at a landfill caught fire early Tuesday.

Firefighters said they were called to the landfill in the 200 block of North 177th West Avenue in Osage County at about 3 a.m.  

The fire department said it took about 30 minutes to put out the fire, because they had to shuttle water to the scene from a hydrant several miles away.

Sand Springs Deputy Fire Chief Justin Hall said the generator uses methane gas produced at the landfill to produce electricity which the landfill sells to Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

Hall said the fire destroyed the generator.

No one was at the landfill at the time and no one was injured.

In a statement, Vice President of AEL, Todd Green said, "AEL is extremely grateful to the brave members of the Sand Springs Fire Department for their quick response to the incident that occurred early Tuesday morning and for the positive comments from the media regarding the electricity we produce from waste. We are glad to report our other engine is online and producing power and no methane gas we released as a result of the incident."