Firefighters tearing into woodpile
Health issues nag city for eighth day; analysis of soot imminent.
As Fresno's notorious woodpile blaze burned for an eighth day, city firefighters Saturday began attacking the broad two-story expanse of waste, aided by bulldozers and backhoes in a careful effort to kill a fire that has triggered health problems across the city.
Before firefighters set to work, Mayor Alan Autry held a news conference in front of the football field-sized mound to assure people that the city was doing what it could to stop the fire. Concerns about what exactly is in the smoke's soot have increased as more people complain about the smell and health troubles.
"Rest assured, we're going to take every measure to protect the people, not only in southwest Fresno but around this community," said Autry, accompanied by officials from other agencies involved in halting a blaze that's sizzling through 100,000 cubic yards of debris.
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What's imminent is an answer from the Environmental Protection Agency about what's in the fire's soot particles. Michelle Rogow, an on-scene coordinator for the EPA, said they have gotten some results back and that they may be able "in a day or so" to talk about whether there are toxics coming off the pile at Archie Crippen Excavation near Marks and Nielsen avenues in southwest Fresno.
The yard is supposed to take in only road debris, asphalt and concrete. But after the fire broke out Jan. 11, officials discovered other material buried in the tall mounds, such as mattresses, wood, metal, plastics and auto parts.
Officials believe the fire ignited by spontaneous combustion, which happens when decomposing material in a damp environment creates heat and combines with oxygen.
As of Saturday, more than 1 million gallons of water had been poured on the fire.
City fire crews were briefed Saturday morning and trained on how to safely pull apart the immense pile and stop the blaze. Until then, they didn't have the expertise or equipment to do so.
The firefighters, each outfitted with breathing apparatuses and devices that monitor for high levels of carbon monoxide, will battle the fire in sections. A backhoe carves out a chunk of debris and sets it aside. A bulldozer then pushes the material away, and firefighters douse it with water.
Eric Lamoureux, spokesman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said they have no estimate when the job can be done: "We're just beginning the operation to start breaking the pile apart. ... It's too early to tell right now."
In addition to Lamoureux's office and the EPA, agencies such as the California Integrated Waste Management Board and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District are involved. As the different agencies work together, questions have been raised about how so much prohibited material accumulated at the site.
City officials said they will examine that question. They have said they have received no complaints about the site since March 2001.
Officials investigated that complaint and found no code or zoning violations. But at least two residents said they have dogged the city for years about the Crippen yard.
"We're going to find out what went wrong," Autry said. "We're going to take the appropriate steps. We have to always get better. This is a big hit in the face that says you have to get better."
City Manager Dan Hobbs said administrators have been looking since October at how conditional-use permits are processed and will have a report in about 30 days.
Meanwhile, others who are worried about how the fire is triggering health problems in the area say the city didn't do enough to immediately alert and inform people, especially those in neighborhoods around the site.
Kevin Hall, air quality chairman for the local chapter of the Sierra Club, said his organization urged the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to issue fliers advising people how to protect themselves and that the district responded immediately. Saturday, the district had 2,000 fliers in English and Spanish and another 500 in Hmong ready to go.
But Hall said the city needs to do more. For example, "there was no medical person at that press conference today," he said. "No one there to talk about public health, and that's what people need to hear."
The city plans to deliver a letter from Hobbs on behalf of Autry to area residents explaining what has happened and what the city is trying to do.
Saturday, Autry and City Council Member Cynthia Sterling, whose district includes the site, handed out the letter to some residents near the yard.
Sterling also plans to conduct a town hall meeting, tentatively scheduled for Thursday evening at City Hall.
Gina Odeneal, who was thrilled to see Autry because she's a fan of his days as a television actor, said she and her two young daughters have asthma and are staying inside as much as possible.
"They've been real sick since it started," Odeneal said. "If it's foggy outside, then it's really, really bad. It's so bad that one day my husband was actually wiping ashes off of us inside the house."
Rebecka Cooksey, who lives with her family near Fruit and Olive avenues, hasn't gotten a letter yet.
"Last night [Friday], the sky was just orange and red. We could see it, and the smoke was just terrible," she said. "We can't run our heater because of the toxics coming through the vents, and we can't use our fireplace because that's also unhealthy. It's cold in our house, and everybody has sore throats, and our noses are hurting and our ears."
She doesn't understand what happened: "I think they should have been prepared for something like this."
State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, also wants to know what happened. He attended a meeting Friday in Fresno about the fire. He's also chairman of the state Senate Select Committee on Air Quality in the Central Valley.
Florez said he will send a letter to the state Department of Finance requesting money be set aside to cover costs involved in fighting the fire.
He said he doesn't want the city or Fresno County faced with reimbursing costs as they deal with tight budgets because of the state's pending fiscal crisis.
Florez also said he wants to conduct a hearing about the Fresno case and how it occurred because it could happen elsewhere.
"I think this is a wake-up call for both counties and cities to proactively identify these things and get these cleaned up," the senator said.
The reporter can be reached at fmatlosz@fresnobee.com or 441-6428.
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