Measures to contain the mulch

pile fire at D&S Environmental in Fayetteville have drastically cut

down the amount of smoke choking area neighborhoods, according to officials.

But since the fire can't

be extinguished, it may take another two to three months to burn itself

out, said Kevin Chambers of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

To smother the fire, D&S

Environmental has dumped 300 truckloads of dirt on the smoldering mulch

pile at its location on First Manassas Road, on the city's southwest

side.

"That got rid of most

of the smoke," Chambers said, adding that the fire is about 95 percent

out. "We're going to let the dirt do its job."

Fayetteville firefighters were

unable to battle the flames, largely because of their remote location,

city officials said.

Chambers fielded several complaint

calls from local residents about the heavy smoke the pile produced. Nearby,

at Spring Hill Elementary, HVAC mechanical units that took in outside

air were shut down as a precaution and doors and other areas which also

might let in outside air were shut, according to school officials.

"Everything went smoothly,"

said schools spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, adding that no students

reported any respiratory difficulties.

The good news is that the fire

is 95 percent out, Chambers said. But the fire may continue to burn for

two to three months, he added.

D&S officials have been

very cooperative in working with the EPD to cut down the smoke from the

mulch pile, Chambers said.

The EPD shut down the company's

mulching and transfer station operations down, and D&S will be required

to remove several other large piles of debris on site that did not catch

fire, Chambers said.

"He has to remove them

right away," Chambers said.

EPD officials also found several

solid waste violations at the company's transfer station which will

have to be addressed by D&S Environmental before it can re-open. Those

violations could result in a fine or administrative action taken against

D&S Environmental, Chambers noted.

"We're going to have

to take a look at the whole operation," Chambers said.

None of the solid waste violations

observed at the transfer station involved any contaminated material, he

added.

The EPD's emergency response

team has been handling the D&S site for almost a week, but the site

will be turned over to regional EPD officials for compliance matters,

Chambers said.