Wisps of smoke continued to rise from a rubbish fire at the Starkville city dump Wednesday.
The Starkville Fire Department received a call early Tuesday morning reporting the fire and has sprayed more than 7,000 gallons of water over the quarter-acre area over the past 48 hours. SFD Chief Rodger Mann said multiple causes may have sparked the fire, which is burning within a huge mound of wood and organic material.
“It”s not that big of an area. It”s just deep. It could be 5-to-7-feet-deep,” said Mann.
He said the fire poses no threat to nearby homes or property.
The SFD had a pumper unit on the scene for much of the past two days and received help from county fire services in the form of a tanker truck. Rainy conditions have also helped keep the fire in check.
A track hoe and a bulldozer were at work Wednesday removing debris to expose the burning portion of the mound.
Mann said a similar fire occurred at the dump two years ago which took the SFD two weeks to fully extinguish. He expects the current fire will be brought under control today.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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