3-Alarm Fire at Gladiator Recycling Facility in Bucks County
Location: 1010 Heller Road, Richland Township (Bucks County), Pennsylvania.
Incident Summary
On the night of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, emergency crews responded to a three-alarm fire at Gladiator Recycling, located within the Quakertown Trade Center. The incident was first reported at approximately 10:10 p.m. following a water flow alarm.
Upon arrival, fire departments from Bucks, Montgomery, and Lehigh counties, as well as units from New Jersey, discovered a fire involving a 15-foot-high and 15-foot-wide pile of cardboard and trash inside the facility. The fire progressed beyond the control of the building's sprinkler system, necessitating the use of four aerial units and the deployment of a fan boat from the Point Pleasant Fire Co. for smoke ventilation. Firefighters worked through the night to pull apart the burning material and ensure suppression. No injuries were reported, and the building remained standing despite significant smoke and water involvement.
Facility Description
Gladiator Recycling operates a commercial recycling plant spanning approximately 125,000 square feet. The facility processes municipal waste and secondary paper products for more than 60 municipalities. The building, constructed around 2024, features 40-foot clear heights, 19 dock doors, and high-capacity electrical service (3,000 amps), typical of modern high-piled storage and industrial processing warehouses.
Speculation on Incident Drivers
The fire may have been initiated by spontaneous combustion within the densely packed piles of organic or contaminated waste. Recycling centers often face risks when moisture or decomposition causes heat to accumulate deep within large stacks of material.
It is possible that mechanical friction from sorting conveyors or an electrical fault in processing equipment served as the initial ignition source for the surrounding dry cardboard.
The reports that the sprinkler system was "not holding" the fire suggests the fire load or the storage height of the trash piles may have exceeded the hydraulic design of the suppression system. In high-piled storage, if a fire reaches a certain size before sprinklers activate, the heat can sometimes overwhelm the water density provided by standard systems.
Relevant Standards: NFPA 13
NFPA 13: Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems
This standard provides the mandatory requirements for the design and installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems. In a facility like Gladiator Recycling, NFPA 13 addresses specific hazards by:
Commodity Classification: It requires materials like loose cardboard and municipal waste to be classified correctly (often as Group A Plastics or High-Hazard commodities) to ensure the system provides a high enough water density.
High-Piled Storage Requirements: For piles reaching 15 feet in a building with 40-foot ceilings, the standard dictates specific sprinkler head types (such as ESFR - Early Suppression Fast Response) and spacing to penetrate the fire plume.
System Maintenance: It provides the framework for regular testing to ensure that water flow alarms and risers function correctly, which in this case, allowed for a rapid emergency response despite the system's inability to fully extinguish the fire.
Top Three Sources
Central Bucks News: "3-alarm fire reported at Gladiator Recycling in Richland Township Tuesday night" (Feb 17, 2026).
Daily Voice (Quakertown): "3-Alarm Blaze Erupts Inside Recycling Plant Near Quakertown" (Feb 17, 2026).
Nester Video Production (NVP): "3rd Alarm Struck for Recycling Facility Fire, Richland Twp, Pennsylvania" (Feb 17, 2026).