Crews check the damage after a fire was extinguished at the E.L. Harvey facility on Wood Street. PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

Crews put out a minor fire at the E.L. Harvey recycling center on Wood Street just before 10 a.m. on Thursday.

“We responded to a call about smoke coming out of a 40-[cubic]-yard dumpster,” said Hopkinton Fire Chief Gary Daugherty.

Firefighters spent 15 minutes extinguishing the blaze and then took time to pull the dumpster apart. Officials reported the dumpster was primarily filled with recycled electronic items.

“A lot of the electronics might have had lithium-ion batteries, which made [the situation] difficult,” said Daugherty.

The chief cited one of those batteries as the probable source of the fire.

Lithium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly popular power sources for smaller electronics, but they can pose increased risks of fire and explosions, according to the National Fire Prevention Association.

Factors that exacerbate those risks include damage to the batteries and improper use, storage and charging.

Daugherty reports that the proliferation of new devices with these batteries has led to a “rash of fires” throughout the country.

“We’re asking people to store and dispose of these batteries properly,” he said.

Representatives of E.L. Harvey were not immediately available for comment on the fire.