This month, a recycling company caught fire for the fourth in the past few years, said Renton Fire’s Deputy Chief Bill Flora.

The department responded by revoking the Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company’s operational permit, he said.

No one was injured in the two-alarm fire, which is estimated to cost about $25,000 in damage. There was no structural damage to the building located at 701 S.W. 34th St.

“It’s kind of a rare occurance, because for the most part we like to see businesses operating,” he said.

The fire started when a forklift developed mechanical issues, he said. “The fire extended to bailed paper products, so far as to activate several sprinkler heads.”

Poor machinery maintenance and similar incidents were among the causes of at least three of the other fires, he said.

Buying its materials from Waste Management, Smurfit sorts most of Renton’s recycled goods and then sells them to mills, said Rita Smith, Waste Management’s community education director.

“Since they are not able to accept those materials at this time, our trucks have to haul our product to a more distant location,” she said, adding that most of it is going to Seattle.

Though Seattle is receiving more materials, “It’s not an issue,” she said. “We’re certainly hopeful that they’ll be able to get back and be able to do the processing.”

However, the business will be effectively closed “until such time that they can get a third party technical assistant to survey their operations and come back with a plan of how they’re not going to have anymore fires,” Flora said.

Renton Reporter staff writer Celeste Gracey can be reached at cgracey@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5052.