1.1.1 Incident Category

Other - Landfill Fire

1.1.2 Site Description

At approximately 17:00 on June 9, 2011, EPA Region 8's Emergency Response Program received a referral from EPA personnel working with the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) regarding a landfill fire on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.  The phone duty EPA On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) contacted the local landfill manager, Tribal representatives and Indian Health Service (IHS) personnel.  Reports from the scene, including video and photographs, depicted a large, uncontrolled fire at the landfill’s main repository cell.  Local attempts to cover the area with soil were not successful and nearly resulted in a serious situation when an OST bulldozer operator and his equipment began sinking into the smoldering debris.  The local fire department responded to the fire but declined to become involved indicating that they did not have the proper equipment to fight the fire.  EPA OSC Paul Peronard deployed to the Pine Ridge Landfill Fire Site (Site) on June 12, 2011.

The Site is the sole landfill for the Pine Ridge Reservation and is a Subtitle D solid waste facility. The landfill has been in operation for less than 10 years and accepts waste from 11 transfer stations throughout the reservation.  The landfill services approximately 30,000 people including the communities of Pine Ridge and Kyle.  Approximately 50 tons of municipal solid waste is deposited at the landfill on a daily basis.

Because there is no alternate facility and storage at the various transfer stations is limited, trash and potentially hazardous solid waste continues to be trucked into the landfill.

1.1.2.1 Location

The landfill is located 13 miles south of Red Shirt along BIA Highway 41 in southwest South Dakota.  Approximate GPS coordinates are 43.469 north latitude and -102.875 west longitude.

The property is owned and operated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe.  The Federal Indian Health Service (IHS) provides technical support.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

Use of the landfill is largely unrestricted.  There is no gate and the facility is, for the most part, left unattended.  Landfill personnel, workers hauling daily loads, tribal members dropping off garbage, motorists along BIA Highway 41 and frequent scavengers are all at risk of exposure to a noxious plume of gases that is generated by the combustion of hazardous substances in the landfill. 

As previously mentioned, there is no other facility capable of handling the reservation’s waste stream, even on a temporary basis.   In addition, if the landfill were to be closed because of the fire, household waste would begin to back up throughout the reservation and public health will be impacted.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

During his Preliminary Removal Assessment on June 12, 2011, OSC Peronard confirmed the conditions identified by the landfill operator and IHS.  When he arrived on the scene, the fire had progressed to include approximately 70 percent (~7 acres) of the landfill's footprint and a noxious plume had inundated nearby BIA Highway 41.  Initial measurements taken on June 13, 2011 indicated decreased levels of oxygen and elevated levels of particulates, VOCs and carbon monoxide.  The initial Response Team observed the explosive release of pockets of gas as well as both breached and intact gas canisters.  Local contacts indicated that waste is not screened for hazardous materials before it is deposited in the landfill and evidence of hazardous substances (pesticide containers, paint cans, small drums, etc) was visibly evident throughout the extent of the fire.  

The landfill operators are subject to limited resources and have been unable to apply consistent cover and compaction.  As a result, OSC Peronard determined that the fire could be expected to burn indefinitely with a furnace-like airflow moving through poorly compacted layers of waste and uncovered trash 10-12 feet deep providing fuel.