BELLA VISTA, Ark. (AP) – Officials say an environmental engineering firm will soon begin extinguishing an underground dump fire that has been burning since July at a former unlicensed northwest Arkansas dump.
KFSM reports prep work has begun to put out the fire in Bella Vista and crews will begin actual firefighting Saturday.
E-3 Environmental says the first day or two of firefighting will be
“experimental” as crews determine how aggressively they can fight the fire based on how much smoke and particulate are generated.
The Bella Vista Property Owners Association has taken responsibility for the fire and has said the cleanup will cost about $4 million.
Residents noticed the fire last July. Federal and state agencies have been
monitoring air quality since November.
Some residents say smoke has caused respiratory and other health problems.
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