116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cedar Rapids firefighters fight large blaze at disposal business for 25 hours
Numerous cardboard bales were in flames when fire officials arrived
Dec. 22, 2025 5:56 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids firefighters spent 25 hours last weekend working to control a massive blaze of large cardboard bales at a disposal and recycling business on the city’s southwest side.
Fire officials were called to the scene about 8:22 p.m. Saturday in the 1100 block of Ingleside Dr. SW and it quickly became a “second alarm” blaze, according to a department spokesman. The department called in multiple fire units to help extinguish “dozens” of large cardboard bales, which were spread around the site.
The spokesman declined to release the name of the property, but records show firefighters were called to ABC Disposal Systems at 1191 Ingleside Dr. SW.
The cardboard bales were spread around the site and firefighters were operating four different ground units and one aerial unit on the scene, the spokesman said. The weather also played a role in firefighters’ ability to bring the fires under control because the winds were up to 20 mph for a period of time. The colder temperatures also contributed to difficult conditions because the water usage produced “ice and slush” on the ground before salt could be put down, the spokesman noted.
The fire was extinguished about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in the fire.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined and it remains under investigation.
Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com
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