Large Fire Contained At Port Manatee Scrapyard: Manatee County

PALMETTO, FL — Firefighter crews contained a large fire that broke out at a scrapyard recycling facility just north of SeaPort Manatee in Palmetto over the weekend.

A “mixture of metals and plastics from appliances and large vehicles (were) burning,” said Scott Hopes, Manatee County administrator, during a Saturday afternoon news conference.

North River Fire Department responded to Port Manatee Scrap Metal at 13838 Harllee Road around 10 a.m. on Saturday.

As they got closer to the fire, crews from the department realized how large it was and called for additional resources, Jacob Sauer, Manatee County’s public safety director, said during the news conference.

Foam trailers and crews from several Manatee County agencies and departments, special operations units with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the cities of Bradenton and Tampa assisted with the fire.

About 2,000 gallons of foam were used to contain the blaze and about 55 firefighters, as well as additional emergency services personnel, were on site Saturday, Sauer added.

During the containment of the fire, a no-fly zone was established in a half-mile radius around SeaPort Manatee because of the thick smoke.

The Florida Highway Patrol and other agencies helped to control traffic in the area throughout the day.

By early Saturday afternoon, 25 percent of the fire was contained, though it extended a bit north, threatening a train storage facility owned by CSX, the public safety director said.

Manatee County Jail, which is located near SeaPort Manatee, was also locked down during the fire and inmates were kept inside, said Joe Sicking, North River Fire District’s assistant chief.

Saturday’s scrapyard fire broke out about a year after the area was impacted by another crisis, the Piney Point wastewater reservoir breach, said Hopes. The reservoir breached threatened to flood homes and businesses in the area with contaminated water in late March and early April of 2021.

Hopes joined Manatee County as its administrator at the time, jumping in to assist with the Piney Point crisis.

“I’m not sure if I’m good luck or bad luck,” he said.