A rash of garbage fires this year outside Rock Springs that a landfill manager linked to lithium-ion batteries foreshadow the potential for large-scale disasters, concerned public officials say.

There have been six fires at the Rock Springs Landfill in the past year, all attributed to lithium-ion batteries bursting into flames, Dan Chetterbock, general manager of the landfill, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.

That includes two this past winter and four in the spring and summer.

“It’s a big spike,” Chetterbock said. “It’s just been a problem starting this year. It’s really taken off – and I’ve noticed in the waste industry and in the recycle industry too, it’s just becoming a bigger and bigger problem.”

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are prolific. They’re in cellphones, laptops a

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