DETROIT – Nearly 24 hours later, a mulch fire is still burning on Detroit’s city’s west side.
Detroit fire is working non-stop to put out the flames near Prairie and Lyndon streets. The fire started at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21.
The fire could last through the day, possibly through tomorrow, said Dep. Fire Chief Daniel Clapp.
According to Clapp, crews responded to the inferno around 6:30 p.m. which later burned through the overnight and into Wednesday.
Flames skyrocketed into the sky while smoke billowed from the yard of Detroit Mulch, Co. through Metro Detroit and beyond.
“[The smoke] kind of woke me up,” Pete Brown said.
Drone 4 shows Detroit’s bravest attacking the flames from above by using aerial ladders while heavy equipment moved some of the mulch away from the scene.
Meanwhile, an investigation is underway into what started these flames.
However, Detroit fire told Local 4 spontaneous combustion is known to happen as mulch breaks down but this cause remains unknown.
The give context, some piles are stacked at least 20 feet high with the length stretching several football fields.
The sheer size is not the only problem.
“The wind obviously plays a little factor on it but there’s just the close radiation of the heat transferring from one pile to another,” Clapp said.
The fire department also said the embers and hot spots go deep into the mulch making the fight more difficult.
Firefighters have been switching out every two to three hours for respite, Clapp said.
At one point, the air quality became so bad it left this woman’s eyes burning.
“Just this smoke is bothering my allergies and making my eyes run and I’m trying not to rub them,” said Jacqueline Turner who lives in Hazel Park.
At last check, there are no reported injuries and the fire poses no threat to nearby homes and businesses.
Local 4 did reach out to the mulch business, which only said it was closed for the day and did not know how the fire started Tuesday night.