2nd load of foam due Friday

Crews run low on the additive that speeds work on the woodpile, a site that poses special challenges to firefighters.

By Louis Galvan
The Fresno Bee

(Updated Thursday, January 23, 2003, 10:25 AM)

Nearly 700 gallons of foam concentrate directed at southwest Fresno's woodpile fire was expected to run out this afternoon, but a larger shipment is expected by Friday.

That was the word Wednesday from officials monitoring the huge, smoldering blaze at Archie Crippen Excavation near Marks and Nielsen avenues. The fire broke out Jan. 11 at the two-story-high, football field-size mound, sparking health and environmental concerns among residents and government agencies.

The first shipment of foam arrived Monday night, and firefighters began using it Tuesday afternoon, adding only a fraction of it to every gallon of water being sprayed -- 500 gallons per minute -- on the blaze.

Another shipment of more than 700 gallons has been ordered from Atlanta, said Janet Marshall, a spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

The foam-water mix is designed to penetrate the burning debris and help cool the hot spots, allowing giant excavators and bulldozers to work atop the pile and break it up at a faster pace.

The foam also helps trap particulate matter, a source of major concern to health and air-quality experts.

Todd Thalhamer, an Integrated Waste Management Board engineer assigned to help oversee the operation, said it was too early to say when the fire would be put out, but he was encouraged by how the foam was working.

"Water alone is not going to penetrate," he said. "Without foam, it can be a losing battle."

Thalhamer, who arrived at the site on Jan. 15, said his job is to provide the operation with technical expertise and to ensure that those in charge of putting out the fire get the resources they need.

Thalhamer is more familiar with landfill and tire fires, including the tire blaze that broke out near Tracy in summer 1998 and smoldered for 30 months. The Crippen fire is not the largest with which he's been involved, but he said it poses special challenges to firefighters and equipment.

"Basically, it has really steep slopes, many unknown materials and is deep-seated," he said. "It's a very long pile, with fires burning at different spots."

Temperatures in some areas of the pile range from 300 degrees to 400 degrees. "In other areas, the temperature can be up to 1,000 degrees," he said.

"It's a wood-burning stove," he said, after pausing to find another way to describe what firefighters are up against.

And while the wood debris appears to be burning the hottest, firefighters also are finding metal, sheet rock, brick and other materials, Thalhamer said.

Because of the smoky air caused by the fire, Fresno Unified School District officials started keeping students inside last week and canceled outdoor after-school sports and practices. District spokeswoman Jill Marmelojo said Wednesday it was up to each school to decide whether to allow students outdoors.

As for lifting the after-school restrictions, Marmelojo said that decision would be based on air-quality readings each morning.

Air-pollution control officials said a weak storm system was pushing winds southeast across the Valley on Wednesday, but they cautioned people to be aware that smoke is still a concern. Particulate levels were forecast to be 133 on the Air Quality Index today, an unhealthful level for people with asthma, other respiratory conditions and heart disease. Officials said all residents should be cautious about prolonged outdoor activities when they can smell smoke.

The reporter can be reached at lgalvan@fresnobee.com or 441-6139.

IF YOU GO

A public meeting to discuss

the wood-debris fire in southwest Fresno will begin at 5:30 p.m. today in the council chambers at Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno St.

Details: (559) 498-1560.