The Site is a bankrupt municipal waste landfill located immediately north of Big Run Road, approximately one-half mile west of Highway 180, in Cannonsburg, Kentucky. The geo-coordinates of the Site are 39.367388o N Latitude and 82.727055o W Longitude. The landfill itself is approximately 30 acres in total area, about 5 acres of which were affected by the fire. The facility was permitted to use shredded vehicle tires as temporary daily cover material. The tires were the primary material fueling the fire.
At approximately 05:00 hrs on January 3, 2006, Boyd County emergency personnel responded to a reported fire at the Site. Shortly thereafter, Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection (KYDEP) emergency personnel responded and filed National Response Center (NRC) report #784102. KYDEP also contacted the Region 4 Duty Officer and requested EPA assistance in air monitoring support and fire suppression.
The on-call OSC first responder (R1) was dispatched to the Site at approximately 10:00 hrs on January 3rd. At the request of the OSC, START II contractors and EPA Emergency Response Team (ERT) support were also dispatched to the Site. The OSC learned from KYDEP personnel that three schools downwind of the fire had been evacuated and that local fire fighting resources were limited. At 14:20 hrs, the OSC received verbal access from the current owner of the Site to conduct any monitoring and/or removal activities deemed necessary to mitigate threats posed by the fire.
The OSC determined while en route to the Site that conditions there constituted a threat to public health that met National Contingency Plan criteria for initiating a emergency removal. Additionally, he concluded that local response resources were being overwhelmed, and that no other non-EPA response mechanism was available within a time-frame adequate to the urgency of the situation. Consequently, the OSC exercised his $200,000 delegated verbal authority and procured EPA Emergency Response Removal Support (ERRS)contractor support at approximately 14:30 hrs on January 3, 2006 for immediate mobilization to the landfill fire.
Upon arrival at the Site at approximately 17:30 hrs on January 3, the OSC noted that local resources were being employed in an effort to contain the fire. These efforts consisted of pushing soil onto the fire. Local officials reported that these efforts had been ongoing throughout the day and that the responders were in a state of extreme fatigue. Following a meeting with the OSC, local fire fighting efforts were terminated. Local fire and police kept a presence at the Site through the night of January 3rd to monitor the situation and provide for Site security.
At the direction of the OSC, START II contractors initiated perimeter air monitoring at approximately 18:00 hrs on January 3. The OSC met with ERRS and assessed Site conditions at approximately 18:00 hrs. ERRS heavy equipment began arriving at the Site soon after arrival of EPA. The OSC and ERRS concluded that health and safety conditions were such that fire fighting activities would not begin until the morning of January 4. The OSC met with state and local responders at 20:00 hrs on January 3, and briefed them on planned monitoring and fire-fighting activities.
Fire fighting took place in two phases. Phase I was to extinguish the fire. To accomplish this goal, off-road dump trucks were employed to transport soil to the fire from two nearby locations. Bulldozers were used to push the soil over the fire from two points of attack upwind from the blaze. Simultaneously, two trackhoes were used to pull apart portions of the fire to aid in cooling the burning trash and tires. These trackhoes were also used to test the stability of the landfill ahead to the bulldozers. These activities continued until the fire was extinguished.
Phase II fire fighting was initiated once the fire was extinguished. First, a trench was excavated around the perimeter of the burn to determine whether the fire had run downhill beneath the surface of the landfill. Second, additional soil was brought in to form a thin cap over the entire burn area to ensure that flare-ups did not occur. Phase II was completed on Saturday, January 7, 2006.
In addition to fire fighting activities, START II contractors conducted hand-held, real-time monitoring around the perimeter of the Site along Highway 180 and Highway 60, downwind of the fire. Monitoring parameters included total airborne particulates, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, VOCs, sulfur dioxide, phosgene, and oxygen. Monitoring results were relayed to a data management/GIS specialist who entered the data into a GIS for visual presentation and assessment.
No additional EPA-lead removal actions are planned for the site.
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