Tamid 2:1-2

Tamid 2:1

When the other kohanim saw the one who removed the ashes descend, they would rush to wash their hands and feet from the basin. They took the rakes and forks and went to the top of the altar. The limbs and fats that had not been consumed by the fire overnight were moved to the sides of the altar. If there was no room on the sides of the altar, they would be placed on the ledge that surrounded the ramp.

Tamid 2:2

The kohanim then started shoveling the rest of the ashes onto the heap (literally, “the apple”), which was located in the middle of the altar. Sometimes there was as much as 300 kor of ashes on it (more than 31,700 gallons! The number 300 is a common Talmudic exaggeration meaning simply that there was a lot of something). They didn’t remove the ashes on yom tov since they were considered an ornament for the altar. The kohanim were never lax when it came to removing the ashes.