At around 2:30 p.m., a maintenance operation (welding) was in progress in a waste paper sorting centre when an incandescent weld droplet fell into the pit of the mechanical feed conveyor. Pieces of scrap paper and cardboard, which had accumulated in the pit, caught fire. Employees present in the area were able to extinguish the outbreak of fire with a fire hose. The fire brigade was called as a precautionary measure but no intervention was necessary. The operator cleaned out the pit and sent the burnt and wet waste to an approved disposal centre. The maintenance operation had been the subject of a fire permit and prevention plan, although prior cleaning and inspection of the conveyor pit had been forgotten. The operator has since completed the pre-maintenance cleaning and inspection procedure.