Landfill compost catches fire
BY MARY LANCASTER
Fresh compost heats naturally within deep piles, but it is believed that the addition of wood chips caused the landfill's compost to ignite on Sunday. The fire, which spread to a nearby brush pile, was brought under control that day with assistance from airport employees and their pumper truck, but hot spots still smoldering have required continued vigilance by both Waste Options crews and firefighters still on the scene as of yesterday.

From atop a pile of compost, firemen Brian Gray (left) and Chris Beamish aim a stream of water onto the burning brush pile at the landfill on Sunday afternoon. Sustained winds all weekend with gusts of up to 55 m.p.h. helped ignite and fuel the blaze.

Fire Chief Mark McDougall said there is nothing suspicious about the nature of the blaze, which is believed to have started through spontaneous combustion.

"The fire department was out there last week and a small area was smoldering, but Waste Options put it out with their own equipment," said McDougall. "It seemed to be taken care of, but when the winds picked up [over the weekend] it must have exposed it and it ignited.

"Waste Options was running a 2,000 gallon tank back and forth to try to put it out but the fire department was called to the scene when it became engulfed. The compost was next to a large brush pile and a leaf pile that also caught. It was difficult to fight because of the wind. It was just a situation waiting to happen."

Yesterday, Waste Options was using its excavator to move the material around so firemen could keep applying water to soak the interior of the compost. Waste Options president Whitney Hall explained that in spite of what people might think, rain such as Nantucket received all day Saturday actually heats the internal compost temperature to a higher level than exists on dry days. That, coupled with a greater amount of dry, clean wood brought to the landfill than in past years which is chipped and mixed with compost, created a composition that burst into flames when fanned by high winds.

"We will have to screen the chipped wood now from the fresh compost that heats up so this doesn't reoccur," said Hall.

Hall, McDougall and Jeff Willett, the director of the Department of Public Works, will meet next week to discuss employment of preventative techniques to avoid a replay of Sunday's potentially dangerous fire. McDougall views the volume of flammable materials brought to the landfill as a major part of the problem.

"The facility isn't big enough to support what the island community is bringing there," he said. "It's a big undertaking for any company to handle."

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