Hand sanitizer recycling fire at ReWorld in Avon Lake sends 2 to hospital Friday

Two workers at ReWorld, a specialized waste removal and recycling facility on Pin Oak Parkway in Avon Lake, were hospitalized Friday after a fire broke out while hand sanitizer was being recycled. One worker was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland with burn injuries, and a second was taken to University Hospitals St. John Medical Center in Westlake, with unspecified injuries, according to Avon Lake Fire Chief Jeremy Betsa. The severity of the injuries was not known. Betsa said Avon Lake firefighters were called to the business at 33565 Pin Oak Parkway just after 10 a.m. Friday. At the scene, they discovered a fire had started in machinery that was being used to recycle unused hand sanitizer, he said. Betsa said it is believed a spark may have ignited the sanitizer, which is alcohol-based, while it was being recycled. He said firefighters had the flames under control within an hour. The department's fire marshal was finishing up a report and interviewing witnesses, but it appears the fire was accidental and not "malicious" in nature, Betsa said. Employees of the company also assisted firefighters, blocking off drains so no contaminants or water from the firefighting could get off the property. They also removed any water that was contaminated, Betsa said. Avon Lake Public Works and Regional Water employees found "no issues" with water quality in the area, he said. Betsa didn't have a damage estimate. Almost all the damage was to machinery, and the building itself suffered "minimal" damage, he said. Mutual aid at the scene was provided by the Avon, North Ridgeville, Sheffield Lake, Sheffield and Bay Village fire departments, Betsa said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.