The risk of spontaneous fires at temporary storages of organic material waste fuels and recyclables have been observed worldwide. This increase in number of fire incidents is due to increased demands for recovery and recycling of materials and growth in number of temporary storage sites. In past fire incidents have been observed in all types of storages (loose dumps, hard compact and bales). It is concluded that in order to reduce the risk of spontaneous fires there is need to re-consider the economic, political, behavioural and technical factors. Furthermore, in a situation when there is always a risk of spontaneous fires, early detection and early suppression can limit the losses from fires. Three stake holders, government by introducing strong steering tools, waste management companies by developing safety culture and society by source separation can help in reducing the risk of spontaneous fires and help in achieving the dream of sustainable society.