Taylor Garbage's recycling facility went up in flames late Friday afternoon, and they believe they know the cause.

While the investigation is still ongoing, Taylor representatives believe a cell phone battery ignited a bale of recycled material. That may have sparked the largest fire in Tioga County's history.

"Some of the people I've talked to, this is potentially the largest in modern history for Tioga County. A lot of the emergency managers I've talked with can't even think of anything bigger in their careers, either," said Apalachin Fire Chief Mike George.

George and his crew were joined by more than 30 other fire departments from Broome and Tioga counties. He believes there were more than 1 million gallons of water used to fight the fire.

"As they were bringing the material out of the building, it was still on fire, as they started opening it up and spreading it out, so we've been applying a lot of water to it," George said.

Taylor Garbage wants to remind customers that cell phone batteries are not supposed to be put in the recycling bin. The business is in the process of demolishing the building and then it plans to rebuild the facility.