Waste Management’s Earthmover landfill in Elkhart County is on fire, and residents are being asked to stay indoors.
The landfill on C.R. 26 near the bypass has been burning since 3:45 a.m.
The north-to-northwest wind is pushing the smoke towards the city of Elkhart. Elkhart officials are encouraging the public as far as Bristol Street to stay indoors and close all windows. The facility doesn’t store hazardous materials, according to Elkhart County Sheriff’s Capt. Jim Bradberry.
It’s not known yet what caused the fire to start.
Numerous agencies are at the site, trying to figure out how to fight this difficult fire. They include Elkhart County’s Emergency Management, the Concord Fire Department, the Elkhart City Fire Department, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), Waste Management, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Hazmat Teams, and the National Weather Service.
Elkhart officials have evaluated the fire. It’s one acre wide and about knee deep in height. Officials say they will spray water on the fire, cover sprayed areas with dirt. However, there’s no estimate on when the fire will be put out, so residents to the west and northwest of the site should continue to shelter in place.
Here’s the latest from Capt. Jim Bradberry:
C.R. 26 will be closed between C.R. 7 and C.R. 11 for emergency responders.
Check out the amazing photos of the fire below.
JUST IN: Incredible images of the Earth Movers landfill fire from Elk Co. Sheriff’s Dept @ecsdnews pic.twitter.com/2gwqjr9tI2
— Julia Palazzo ABC 57 (@JuliaPalazzoTV) April 26, 2017
4 comments
If you smell burning waste will you get “wasted”? Just asking….
How did this effect children in walk zones getting to school? Elkhart Community schools were open today. Indoor recesses and no outdoor activity but no word on how to get to and from school safely of you are a walker.
This is the second time that this place has burned. They constantly leave the area uncovered. We have had at 4 instances of plastic bags covering our yard ,trees, and pastures. This place should be shutdown permanently before somebody gets seriously injured. Where the heck is DNR?
Makes you wonder if people are dumping flammable hazardous waste, which could contribute to this explosion and bam.