Investigators have released the cause of a massive fire at a Santa Maria recycling center over the weekend.
The fire happened Saturday morning at SA Recycling, located in the 1600 block of W. Betteravia Rd.
Firefighters say the fire started inside a compactor while a vehicle was being crushed. Flammable liquid residue was ignited by sparks and the fire spread to other nearby vehicles that were prepped for compacting.
No one was injured in the fire, but about 50 vehicles burned.
Previous coverage:
Betteravia Rd. reopened after fire burns dozens of vehicles at Santa Maria recycling center
