The rubber in the dumpster burns in this contributed photo.
Weldon fire Chief Rusty Bolt said firefighters from his department and Halifax responded to Patch Rubber around 8:30 p.m. to a dumpster fire in which the half-full container held about 20,000 pounds of rubber.
Bolt said it is believed rubber was put in the dumpster which hadn’t completely cooled.
Firefighters — 14 from Weldon and four from Halifax — had the fire under control in about 45 minutes.
Around midnight, M.J. Price Construction moved the dumpster away from the building and the fire department continued to monitor it throughout the night.
A mechanics shelter caught fire and was damaged on one side.
Bolt said today the plan is to remove the rubber from the dumpster, spread it out and completely extinguish it.
The Patch Rubber facilities were evacuated until the fire was under control, Bolt said.
