Small Town News
Firefighters battle landfill blaze
Email
Print
CopyFire fighting units from King George, Westmoreland and Stafford counties last week battled a persistent blaze at the King George landfill for nearly three hours.
King George Fire and Rescue Chief David Moody said the blaze was apparently caused by hot coals that had been discarded at a convenience center and were transported to the landfill.
An employee of Waste Management, which operates the landfill, reported the fire shortly after 4 a.m. on May 27. A medical unit and five firefighting units from King George responded and were joined by units from Oak Grove in Westmoreland County and Hartwood in Stafford County.
Moody said arriving firemen found about 1.5 acres of trash at the landfill in flames. Firefighters worked together to prevent the fire from spreading and were assisted by employees of Waste Management, who used heavy equipment to help extinguish the fire with dirt.
Moody thanked the Waste Management team for its help, noting its actions kept the amount of water needed to extinguish the blaze to around 1,500 gallons.
The fire apparently started around the truck tipper, and Moody stated that hot coals discarded at the Route 205 convenience center and transported to the landfill could easily have ignited.
"We are urging people to ensure that any charcoal grill coals be completely extinguished with water before discarding in the trash," he said.
Copyright 2015 The King George Journal, King George, Virginia. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.
More from The King George Journal