Bales of plastic and cardboard went up in flames at a recycling plant near MCAS Miramar, closing the facility to the public Monday as firefighters worked to clean up the mess.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department responded to the the Allan Company recycling center on Consolidated Way around 8:30 p.m. Sunday and found pallets of recycled materials burning and billowing smoke into the night.

The high volume of paper and cardboard was making the firefighting efforts difficult as those materials can burn for a long time, SDFD Deputy Chief Steve Wright said.

Wright said the fire did not pose any threat to the public.

The fire was contained to the materials in the plant and the building itself did not burn, according to firefighters. The blaze was partially knocked down around 9:30 p.m.

NBC 7’s Erika Cervantes is live in Miramar with the latest on a fire that started at a recycling center.

Firefighters stayed through the night to crush each packed cube of materials to eliminate any lasting embers.

The Allan Co Recycling Center in Miramar will stay closed today following a fire that got started inside one of the pallets of recycling. https://t.co/MrKqERHkTN @nbcsandiego pic.twitter.com/mXr1eWv4kO — Melissa Adan (@MelissaNBC7) November 4, 2019

There was some concern that the chemicals from the recycled materials could send an odor into the air, but Wright said they were not harmful.

“When the plastics meltdown and burn and everything there could be some carbons from that, but not chemicals to speak of that are toxic in nature,” Wright said.

NBC 7/Erika Cervantes

The weather conditions worked in first responders' favor.

“We don’t think it’s going to be a whole plant going up, out of control," Wright added. "There’s hardly any wind, it is dry. It’s not bad.”

The recycling facility is typically open to the public on weekdays, but the fire forced owners to shutter their doors Monday.

The business sits close to MCAS Miramar, just off Miramar Road and east of Interstate 805.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.