Trash pile burns for more than 5 hours at green-waste facility in Irvine

A large pile of trash burned for more than five hours Sunday at an Irvine green-waste processing facility where a similar fire occurred last month.

The fire started about 4:15 p.m. in a 75-by-75-foot pile of refuse at a transfer station used by Tierra Verde Industries in the 8000 block of Marine Way, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

A crew of about 25 firefighters, five engines, two water tenders and heavy equipment owned by Tierra Verde knocked down the flames by 9:30 p.m., fire officials said. No structures were threatened during the fire.

Investigators are trying to determine what caused the blaze.

A similar fire at Tierra Verde last month was caused by spontaneous combustion, according to the Fire Authority.

The Oct. 13 blaze also began in a large pile of refuse, burning overnight for more than six hours.