Smoldering fire starts in Houston County Landfill

KATHLEEN — County crews responded to a fire at the Houston County Landfill on Wednesday.

According to Houston County Fire Chief Chris Stoner, on Sept. 10, around 7 a.m., landfill staff found a smoldering fire in a household trash pile while opening for the morning.

Staff began following standard procedures to extinguish the fire and prevent it from growing, shoveling dirt onto the pile to cover and compact it; Stoner said this prevents water runoff.

“Everything is segregated into different dump locations, and everything is is protected from each other. So it it was pretty much self-contained when they found it,” he said.

Stoner said landfill staff contained the fire quickly and continued to monitor and compact it until 7 p.m. Houston County Fire crews were on the scene until around 5 p.m. as a safety measure, in case the fire became out of control.

Stoner attributed the early containment to excellent maintenance at the landfill.

“They do such a good job maintaining that facility out there that it prevents a lot of potential disasters. Everything is so well segregated and covered and compacted at the end of each night, that the risk of anything large occurring out there is very minimal,” he said.

Stoner said given the trash pile’s composition, a large variety of things could have caused the fire, from batteries to household chemicals. Consumers with questions about safely disposing of household waste should consult the Environmental Protection Agency’s website or manufacturer, he advised.

“Follow manufacturer instructions. Most products will tell you how to how to dispose of it once it’s used or empty … look at those things, follow the directions on the bottles, packages or whatever that item came in,” he said.

More information can be found on the EPA’s website.