Moody landfill fire: Questions loom as feds leave the site

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepares to leave the site of the Moody landfill fire, questions loom about the possibility of lingering smoke, harmful chemicals and whether the underground fire might still be burning.

The EPA plans to conclude its operations at the site this weekend, more than three months after arriving on the scene in January, when air samples near the fire showed potentially hazardous levels of natural and man-made chemicals.

There are no visible flames anymore, but nearby residents continue to complain of smells emanating from the site. They worry that the fire might re-ignite and that they might still be exposed to hazardous chemicals.

“There is a persistent odor at the landfill and it’ll probably continue to have an odor until the landfill cools down,” Subash Patel, an EPA on-scene coordinator, told AL.com on Friday. “How long is that going to take? It could be several more weeks.”

The slopes of the former Environmental Landfill, Inc disposal area have been covered with dirt and planted with grass to prevent erosion.

Richard Harp, a former firefighter who lives just outside the landfill property, said he is also concerned about the possibility of benzene, one such hazardous chemical, reaching his home from the waste that is still smoldering under the new dirt cover.

“You all need to be aware that this fire is not out and the EPA knew this method of capping it would not put it out,” Harp said in a lengthy Facebook post in a group formed for people living near the fire site. “This method might be good for a landfill in the middle of nowhere, but it is not good for a landfill surrounded by residential homes. OUR residential homes.”

Patel told AL.com that the heat from the site is expected to dissipate slowly over time once the fire is deprived of oxygen, but there are no guarantees.

“We cannot guarantee that it will not ignite again,” he said. “But we’re confident that what we’ve done should resolve the issue. It just needs time to cool.”

Patel said the EPA took additional air samples from low-laying areas, including on Harp’s property on April 17 and 18 to check for hazardous substances such as benzene.

The results of those tests should be available next week, and Patel said that the EPA will respond if those tests showed elevated levels of hazardous substances.

“If there are [test results] that exceed our health thresholds, we would definitely have to take some kind of action,” Patel said. “It would just depend on where it is and what the levels are.”

How we got here

The fire was first reported in November 2022 at the Environmental Landfill, Inc. near the Birmingham suburbs of Moody and Trussville. The landfill was intended to only accept “green waste,” such as trees and vegetation. However, state inspectors on numerous occasions found unauthorized waste at the site including scrap tires, electronics, chemically treated wood products and household garbage.

BEFORE THE FIRE: How Alabama ignored warning signs at the Moody landfill

The fire started as a large blaze on Black Friday, November 25, and continued to smolder for months after, blanketing nearby residences with smoke. Emergency responders estimated that the pile of dead trees and other waste was more than 100 feet deep in places. Many locals near the site reported health and breathing problems as well as extensive property damage from the smoke.

From November until January, state and local authorities struggled over who had the authority and responsibility to put out the fire.

The EPA took over the site in January, agreeing to use contractors it keeps on retainer to extinguish the blaze.

Since then, EPA contractors used heavy equipment to grade the site and excavate parts of it before covering the smoldering remains with 2,599 truckloads of dirt from a nearby pit.

“The best analogy we use is like an oven cooling off after you bake something,” Patel said. “We don’t see any flames or fire, we don’t see any visible smoke leaving that site but there is definitely an odor there.

Patel said the EPA is now only operating a skeleton crew at the site, consisting of two people and a water truck to watch for hotspots where smoke might exit the ground.

One such hotspot was excavated this week, which Patel said consisted of digging down to about four feet deep, spraying water into the hotspot, allowing for it to cool and then covering it again.

What’s next?

Patel said the EPA expects to withdraw its last personnel at the site by Monday, May 1.

AFTER THE FIRE: What Alabama got wrong when battling the landfill blaze

After EPA leaves the scene, control of the site would revert back to the control of the property owner, who will also face enforcement actions from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

“The owners have primary responsibility of the privately owned site,” ADEM External Affairs Chief Lynn Battle told AL.com via email Friday.

“As stated previously, ADEM has initiated enforcement that will involve future restrictions on the property and is working with county officials on securing the site and managing any residual flare ups,” Battle said. “Also, ADEM will take additional enforcement action for any unauthorized material placed at the site that it becomes aware of in the future.”

Battle said the state is still evaluating its response to the fire and what actions can be taken to prevent this situation from occurring again.

“The working group, established to review the state’s response to the fire, is in the process of assessing whether changes in laws, regulations and resources are needed and is continuing to accept recommendations and comments from the public,” Battle said. “Anyone wishing to submit comments to the working group may send an email to [email protected].”