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| Believed to have been caused by lightening, the landfill fire in Tulsa is proving difficult to extinguish |
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has ordered a Tulsa landfill that has been burning since Wednesday evening to stop accepting waste.
The landfill receives about 600 tons of waste every day, primarily from small private haulers from Tulsa suburbs.
The landfill fire started around 8 p.m. Wednesday, August 4, and continued to burn throughout Thursday. Heavy, malodorous plumes of smoke were reported to drift over U.S. 75 and toward downtown Tulsa.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dispatched an aircraft equipped to image, map, identify, and quantify chemical vapours and plumes to monitor the situation. Preliminary results indicate no toxics in smoke coming from the North Tulsa Sanitary Landfill.
Additional air quality data is currently being recorded on ground-level monitors. Results from the ground-level monitors are not yet available.
Even smoke without toxic vapours can irritate the respiratory system and can worsen symptoms for those who already have breathing difficulties due to conditions such as asthma and emphysema. ODEQ continues to encourage individuals with this type of pre-existing condition to avoid the smoke by remaining indoors.
“Emergencies such as this one demonstrate the importance of the continued planning and cooperation between ODEQ and EPA,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz.
“ODEQ appreciates the quick response of EPA in this matter,” said ODEQ Executive Director Steve Thompson. “ODEQ and EPA will remain at the landfill throughout the day to place additional air quality monitors and gather data from those that have already been placed.”
An Environmental Solutions employee provided a statement from owners saying the fire is a natural occurrence from lightning and that "the situation is under control."
Fire fighters contained the fire, ensuring that no nearby structures were in danger, Turley Fire Capt. David Morgan said. "There's no way we can get enough water up there to sustain the water flow to get it out.
Lightning also was blamed for a small fire at the landfill on June 28 this year. That fire was extinguished by pushing dirt onto the flames.
