North-West Coast householders are being urged not to dispose of used batteries by placing them in wheelie bins.
A fire at the Dulverton Waste Management Authority near Railton on Tuesday was most likely started by incorrectly disposed of batteries.
The fire, along 75 metres of the landfill site, created considerable smoke, with the Tasmania Fire Service issuing a smoke alert for Latrobe, with smoke also impacting on Devonport.
Crews from Devonport and Latrobe responded to the fire around 6 am yesterday, with the fire finally being extinguished around 1.30 pm.
While the fire service hasn’t given an official cause for the fire, Dulverton management says it’s not uncommon for batteries to start tip fires.
It says batteries shouldn’t be put in wheelie bins and should be disposed of at battery banks or waste transfer stations.