According to a Feb. 18 email filed with ADEM by Josh Stewart, an ADEM employee at the Decatur branch, the brush fire began Feb. 13 and the landfill manager was “unsure how the fire started because that area of the pile wasn’t actively receiving waste thereby ruling out the possibility of a hot load.”
Brush fire in City of Hartselle landfill Landfill fire in City of Hartselle (Source: WAFF) By WAFF 48 Digital Staff | March 1, 2021 at 2:07 PM CST - Updated March 1 at 4:59 PM
HARTSELLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A brush pile that consists of limbs, pieces of trees, small brush and other miscellaneous items spontaneously combusted at a landfill in Hartselle on February 13, said city officials.
According to council members, Hartselle Public Works and Hartselle Fire & Rescue began limiting the exposure of the fire and are working countless hours to extinguish the combustion.
Officials said an Alabama Department of Environmental Management representative has been on site and offered suggestions and both Public Works and Hartselle Fire have been following the recommendations to solve the issue. With the burning beginning internally, the temperature has been extremely high, and caution and safety must be practiced by both Public Works employees as well as Hartselle Fire personnel.