July proved to be a dangerous month for waste handling facilities in North America, with an above-average number of fire incidents easily setting a one-month high so far for 2026.
Ryan Fogelman, who works as a fire prevention consultant at Fire Rover, said in his August fire report that there were 52 publicly reported fire incidents at facilities in the US and Canada in July. That’s up from 37 in June and well exceeds the previous 10-year July average of 38.3 incidents.
Of July’s incidents, 15 were considered catastrophic (causing more than $400,000 in damage).
“That is a reminder that summer heat continues to produce not just more fires, but more severe ones,” he said.
The industry has seen 244 events so far this year, which Fogelman said is the second-highest total to this point in the year since he began tracking data a decade ago. The seven-month average during that time is 213.4 incidents, with 2026 only trailing a record-setting 2025, when 256 incidents were seen to this point.
Incidents at waste/paper/plastic facilities still account for the highest percentage of total incidents, at 48.8% this year. But incidents at metal and scrap facilities have increased this year, from a historical average of 31.5% to 34.8%. And incidents at construction and debris facilities have nearly doubled, now accounting for 4.9% of total incidents.
“July’s outsized metals showing, 36.5% of the month’s total, reinforces that this is not noise,” he said. “It is a pattern that has held for several months.”
The general upward pattern of fire incidents is expected to continue, Fogelman said, as batteries continue to hit the waste stream in higher volumes. Summer and fall tend to also be the highest-risk seasons, with elevated incident totals seen in recent years through October.
“We are all facing these risks together,” he said. “The work must continue, because there is no alternative when it comes to keeping employees, facilities and the public safe.”
Fogelman’s report takes into account publicly reported fires, which are generally considered to be two alarms or greater so as to make them newsworthy. Actual incident totals are estimated to be six times higher.
