ADEM Moody fire logo

As of March 13, updates on the Moody landfill fire from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management include the following:

Site conditions

• Site is wet with mud in various locations
• Smoke has not been observed
• Odor is present

Activities

• EPA continues to monitor progress being made at the site
• The contractor is hauling loads of soil materials staged within the site to grade areas being prepared for seeding and hay mat application
• No loads of fill materials will be hauled from the borrow pit today, and none are expected in the coming days
• 104 loads of materials were hauled from the pit to the site on March 8
• A total of 2,599 truckloads of dirt have been used at the site since the beginning of work

The fire on private property started in November at the site, which was being used as a disposal site for vegetative wastes — trees, limbs, shrubbery, leaves and similar materials. The Moody Fire Department responded to the fire, but could not extinguish it because it was burning underground. The Alabama Forestry Commission built a fire break around the site to prevent the fire from spreading.

ADEM helped coordinate the response, and asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December for help. The agency said at that time it lacked authority to act because the site was being used for the disposal of vegetative wastes, a use that is not governed by either state or federal regulations.

After state and local options were exhausted, ADEM asked the EPA to conduct air monitoring using its advanced mobile equipment. Those tests showed concerning levels of benzene (which is common in wood fires) and other chemicals in the smoke, which justified further EPA involvement.

ADEM then asked the EPA to take the lead in extinguishing the fire because the EPA has contractors on retainer with expertise on underground fires. The agency agreed and began work at the site on Jan. 18.

For updates on efforts to extinguish the fire, go online to www.moodyfireupdate.com.

The EPA also has set up an online site to provide updates and information. That site is response.epa.gov/moodylandfillfire.