Stump dump fire declining
A smoky smell still hangs in the air and the tree line is a wall of brown leaves scorched by the heat of a slowly dying fire.
The stump dump fire off Trafalgar Road has been producing less and less smoke, though now there is plenty of steam.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality has assessed the scene and is preparing a report on the incident.
Donnally Davis, communications director for the department, said that after receiving numerous complaints about the fire, the department sent people to assess potential impacts on air, ground and water quality and to the site. Department personnel took photos and video footage.
“Being able to come out here and look at it is really helpful,” she said.
The sheer depth, she said, is something photos and video can’t convey particularly well.
A common question, she said, is what residents should do with smoke in the air. Staying upwind when possible is important, she said, and staying indoors otherwise can help. An air conditioner can help filter the air inside, she said, and if anyone has to go outside, they should avoid strenuous activity.
Moreover, she said, department personnel cannot be out monitoring the entire state every moment of every day, so anyone who sees something that could affect environmental quality
should report it.
“They’re kind of our eyes and ears … it’s helpful to have that information,” she said.
The fire started at the tail end of July and initial information provided by the city indicated the fire was caused by a controlled burn on the property.
Fire chief Steve Sims said that firefighters observed the remains of a controlled burn on the property.
Firefighters have kept an eye on the area to ensure the fire doesn’t spread but, because the fire was burning underground, there’s no safe way to fight it. Furthermore, he said, dumping water into the old stump dump could wash ash and other debris into the watershed.
The property is owned by Brown’s Tree Care and was purchased earlier this year to store equipment.
Brown’s Tree Care proprietor Cletus Wilkins said that his firm did not perform a controlled burn on the property, and he believes the stumps have been burning underground for several years now because of heat caused by decomposition.
During an interview last Thursday, Wilkins said the fire was mostly out and he expects it to be completely out very soon if it isn’t already — though steam continues to rise from the ground.
In the mornings, he said, the steam can be thick enough to look like smoke, though he doesn’t believe there’s much cause for concern at this point.
Wilkins said he lives relatively close to the property and he’s just as concerned as anyone else nearby.
He’s had workers out pulling stumps and other debris from the ground and packing voids with dirt to prevent further fire. It’s been difficult, he said, because workers can get the fire mostly out and find it reignited the next morning.
“I’ve spent a lot of money trying to make this right,” he said.
In addition to stumps, he said, they’ve discovered a lot of garbage, including a small above-ground pool.