Fire still smoldering

State may be called in to pull pile apart, put out blaze; city's bad air keeps getting worse.

By Mark Grossi, Barbara Anderson and Pablo Lopez
The Fresno Bee

(Updated Thursday, January 16, 2003, 12:18 PM)

With lung-patient visits more than doubling at one hospital, Fresno officials Wednesday announced the state may take over the job of snuffing an air-fouling fire in a huge, southwest Fresno woodpile.

The $250,000 cost would be picked up by the state.

The fire in the pile -- which is equivalent to the size of a football field filled two stories high -- smoldered for a fifth day Wednesday. Its plume continued wafting into the sky, making life miserable for residents with sensitive lungs.

Firefighters had doused the biggest flames, but city officials said they simply did not have the expertise or equipment to put out this type of fire, which is burning deep in the woodpile.

Emergency troubleshooters from state and federal agencies arrived early in the day to begin evaluating the fire, which started Saturday by spontaneous combustion.

Now city officials hope the state will stop the blaze at Archie Crippen Excavation, Nielsen and Marks avenues, in seven to 10 days.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board, which routinely handles situations like Fresno's fire, would hire a company to use huge land-moving equipment and workers outfitted in special protective gear to pull the pile apart and put out the fire.

"This is a typical site, not unlike situations we've seen all over the place," said Todd Thalhamer, who will assess the fire today. "We're still in investigative mode at the moment, and no decision has been made on our involvement."

Air quality officials said particle monitoring stations register lower levels than they did Monday and Tuesday. But that didn't prevent the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District from asking residents not to burn in their fireplaces and to avoid outdoor exercise.

Fog and calm conditions make matters worse, said Evan Shipp, the district's supervising meteorologist.

"Things don't look good for dispersing the smoke," he said. "We know there's still smoke in the area."

So do residents who suffer lung problems.

A steady stream of patients complaining of tight chests, scratchy throats and burning eyes showed up this week at the urgent care and Children's Health Center at University Medical Center.

The 40 patients seen Monday were more than twice the normal number, said Kevin Hamilton, a Community Medical Centers respiratory therapist. The 29 patients treated Tuesday represented a 50% increase in the typical patient count.

"We saw more patients in one day than we saw in the three days before in the previous week," Hamilton said. "That's a pretty big hit for us."

In nearby Clovis, Loretta Baker is keeping a closer eye on grandson Robbie Baker, 10, since the fire started. Robbie has asthma and his lungs overreact to air pollutants.

"The last couple of days, his [ability to blow out air] is not as good as what it normally would be," Baker says.

Robbie likes to play basketball, but when Baker picked him up Wednesday at Freedom Elementary, he was inside a classroom. The local air district has advised teachers to keep students indoors.

Doctors won't know for several months the fire's impact on the public's health, said Dr. David Pepper, a family practitioner and medical director of the Asthma Education and Management program for Community Medical Centers.

"But we would expect with more particulates ..., we would expect there to be problems," he said.

Inhaling particles can aggravate conditions like bronchitis and asthma. But these microscopic particles carry hidden risks. They zip through the body's natural defenses in the nose and lungs, traveling deep inside, where they can damage air sacs.

The air sacs are where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs. Researchers speculate particles get into the blood through the air sacs. Once in the blood, they believe particles set into motion reactions in the body, including a slight constriction of the blood vessels.

A healthy person most likely wouldn't notice these small changes to the cardiovascular system. But scientists say heart damage from particles may be enough to trigger heart attacks in those with weak or already damaged hearts.

Research shows the risk of heart attacks for people with heart disease increases as airborne particle readings elevate.

City officials want to take the shortest route to reducing levels of particles. The options include allowing the fire to burn out over the next two months, smothering it with dirt over the next two to three weeks or pulling apart the pile and extinguishing the fire in seven to 10 days.

The last option would be the fastest.

The property owner, Archie Crippen, used his own equipment in an attempt to stop the fire four days ago. While trying to cut a fire line through the burning pile to stop the blaze from spreading, Crippen's bulldozer overturned, said Joel Aranaz, the interim Fresno fire chief.

Crippen, who refused to speak with the media Wednesday, has offered use of his bulldozers to help put out the blaze.

He faces possible fines of $50,000 daily from the Valley air district. But officials said they would investigate the violations before contacting Crippen to discuss a possible fine.

But that isn't the only possible problem Crippen faces.

Nick Yovino, head of Fresno's development and planning department, said, once the fire is out, city inspectors will determine what was burning and whether Crippen violated his working permit. Yovino declined to talk about potential penalties Crippen could face from the city.

He also said he didn't know whether Crippen's huge pile of debris violated city codes. The growing pile escaped detection because city officials inspect only in response to complaints.

Crippen's property was annexed to the city in the mid-1980s. When it was annexed, Fresno officials honored Crippen's county permit to run a recycling operation, which crushed asphalt and concrete, and sold it to developers to build streets and parking lots.

In 1992, a city inspector said Crippen violated Fresno Municipal Code because excessive dust and rodents on the property were detrimental to public health and safety, city documents said. The inspector also noted tires, vehicles and other items on Crippen's property -- debris that was not allowed under his work permit.

City officials said Wednesday that the matter probably was resolved because there is no indication Crippen was penalized. The officials said there have been no other complaints filed against Crippen.

The reporters can be reached at mgrossi@fresnobee.com, banderson@fresnobee.com and plopez@fresnobee.com, or 441-6330.

ASTHMA STUDY

Children between the ages of 6 and 11 are needed for the Fresno Asthmatic Children's Environmental Study. Researchers are investigating how particulates and other air pollutants affect children's lungs. Details: Kathy Butler at (559) 294-6700.