Moody landfill fire: Watch the stunning drone footage

Moody landfill fire: Watch the stunning drone footage

In the suburban area northeast of Birmingham, there’s an underground fire at an environmental landfill that’s been burning for six weeks.

For years, the landfill took in truckloads of green waste — fallen trees from storm debris and land that was cleared for development — piled up stories high and covered with dirt. Now that wood pile has caught fire, blanketing the Birmingham suburbs of Moody and Trussville with smoke.

In this stunning drone footage, taken Thursday by Alabama Media Group’s Patrick Greenfield, the full scope of the underground fire is visible, as are many of the nearby homes that have been dealing with the smoke.

The fire was first reported on Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving, and continues to burn today, six weeks later.

St. Clair County officials have declared a local state of emergency and are seeking help and funding from the state and federal governments to hire a contractor to put the fire out. There is currently no firm time table on how long it might take to put out the blaze or how much it might cost.

Meanwhile, nearby residents are concerned about their health with the amount of smoke they’re breathing in every day, and many are angry at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for not doing enough to prevent or combat the blaze.

Some residents have resorted to leaving their homes until the smoke clears and others have purchased air purifiers to protect themselves while indoors.

Trussville City Schools are limiting children’s outdoor activities due to concerns about unhealthy air quality and installing air monitors provided by the Jefferson County Department of Health.

AL.com will have continuing coverage of the fire and its impact on the community in the days and weeks ahead.