BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A fire at a landfill in Barrow County has been contained and stopped from spreading to a nearby elementary school, officials said Thursday morning, but it will continue to burn for "several days" due to the amount of wood on fire at the site.
The county's emergency services public information officer said in an email that firefighters responded just before midnight on Wednesday to the scene at the Highway 11 Inert Landfill.
Upon arrival, Public Information Officer Scott Dakin said, crews found "the fire was growing rapidly due to the amount of inert wood products."
The landfill is not far from Holsenback Elementary School, as well as the Barrow County Schools administrative offices.
"Firefighters worked to stop the fire from spreading to a nearby neighborhood and elementary school. Firefighters are also being assisted by personnel with the Georgia Forestry Commission," a county statement said. "At this time the fire has been contained inside the property of the landfill. The cause of the fire is still under investigation."
On Facebook, Barrow County Emergency Services also noted that officials have been at Holsenback Elementary "monitoring conditions and in discussions with school staff and officials."
"So, rest assured even if you can’t see us or our equipment, we are there monitoring smoke levels and wind direction to stay ahead of any embers or ash that may create hot spots," the post said. "This is all vegetation and wood product that will likely burn for days. Again, we are on scene and have a strategy in place. We will keep you updated the best we can."
Dakin, in his email notice, also said the fire "will be burning for several days due to the amount of wood burning."
"We will have firefighters on scene during this time to keep the fire under control. The fire is visible for a long distance," he said.
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