Firefighters hose down flames on a landfill pile on Monday afternoon.
High winds cause flare ups at the landfill fire.
Firefighter uses hose to douse flames.
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Loading...A fire at the Tooele County Landfill that started the morning of Monday, Nov. 13 called for aid from several Tooele County fire agencies.
Landfill fires are common, said one fire official. The fire started in the public dumping site of the landfill, located at 2830 S. Bauer Road, off state-Route 36 between Tooele City and Stockton at 10:03 a.m., according to Kevin Nunn, North Tooele Fire District’s chief.
“We got a call for the fire around 10:00 a.m. and they originally only asked for a water tender,” he said. “When we arrived, we knew that we needed more resources. We responded with a brush truck, a 3000-gallon tender, two fire trucks, a 600-gallon tender from Grantsville, a fire engine from Tooele City, and several brush trucks from Grantsville.”
While extinguishing the fire, crews had to drive to the nearest fire hydrant, over 20 minutes away to fill up their tanks, and return, because there were no water resources on site.
They were able to extinguish active flames by around 3 p.m. and Tooele County Emergency Management ordered several county road crews to assist with turning dirt to help extinguish the flames.
Crews were on scene until around 4 p.m. Monday. On Tuesday morning at press time, the fire was still burning, but it was under control, Nunn said.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is unknown.
“With a landfill fire, there is no investigation,” Nunn explained. “By virtue of decomposition and waste, they generate large amounts of heat. Landfill fires are common, so we have to deal with them as they happen.”
Nunn wants to thank the agencies who helped extinguish the fire and provide aid including the Tooele City Fire Department, Grantsville City Fire Department, county crews, and Tooele County Emergency Management.
