Barrow County officials provided an update Monday to the status of a landfill fire on Georgia 11.
In a social media post, the Barrow County Fire Department said they have ceased continuous operations at the Highway 11 Inert Landfill and closed their command post at the location. Officials said the department and the property owners are still doing hourly fire watches.
Officials said the cause of the fire has been determined to be spontaneous combustion, and they warned nearby residents that the effects of the blaze could still be felt for some time.
"You will continue to notice a smoke odor and haze in the area for an extended period of time," Monday's post read.
The post also said the property owners have been working to implement a corrective action plan.
Original story posted Nov. 16:
The Barrow County Fire Department said Thursday morning they were actively working to keep a fire at a local landfill under control.
In a press release, the agency said crews responded late Wednesday evening to the fire at the Highway 11 Inert Landfill in the 600 block of Highway 11.
"The fire was growing rapidly due to the amount of inert wood products," Public Information Officer Captain Scott Dakin said. "Efforts were concentrated on preventing the fire from spreading to a nearby neighborhood and elementary school."
The landfill is close to Holsenbeck Elementary School, which is in the Barrow County School System. The school said in an update on its website that they quickly got students inside the school Thursday morning to limit exposure to the smoke.
The Georgia Forestry Commission is assisting the Barrow County Fire Department as they work to contain the fire within the property boundaries of the landfill.
The cause of the fire was under investigation as of the last report.
"This fire will be burning for several days due to the amount of wood burning," Dakin said.
Firefighters will remain on-site to ensure the fire is kept under control. The visibility of the fire extends over a considerable distance. Citizens should exercise caution when traveling in the area.
