Firefighters responded to International Paper, 4600 C Street SW, this afternoon for compressed cardboard bales on fire.  The Fire Department was notified at 1:58 p.m. by International Paper employees that there were several one-ton bales of cardboard burning in an outside storage area.

Firefighters arrived on scene and began extinguishing 12 one-ton cardboard bales.  International Paper employees used front end loaders to help disperse the cardboard bales and aid firefighters in extinguishment efforts.  Fire crews were on scene for approximately two hours to completely extinguish the compressed cardboard.

International Paper recycles the cardboard and makes new boxes out of the material.

No further information is available.