A large fire broke out Monday evening at the American Recycling facility at 2070 Morgan Road in Ceres, consuming tons of recyclable materials and tying up firefighter resources from multiple agencies.

Hampering efforts was a wind that swept through the Valley beginning on Monday afternoon.

Ceres Fire Department, which is now operated by Modesto Fire, had the fire under control by 2 a.m. but remained on scene for at least 10 hours to continue watching the smoldering piles. It reignited late Tuesday morning.

The fire was blamed on a spark caused when an employee dragged a metal container over concrete. He was unable to extinguish the fire and called 9-1-1.

At one point the department called on firefighter resources from neighboring departments and even San Joaquin County. Use of the ladder truck allowed water to be applied to the center of the burning piles.

Firefighters reportedly had problems with obtaining enough water to apply to the burning stacks. 

The facility has been the scene of numerous fires in the past.