A small fire at the Homer Monofill has been contained since April, but is still smoldering, Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche said Tuesday.
Speaking to the borough assembly, he said a “little fire” had broken out and a statement would be forthcoming. He said it was “primarily extinguished,” but compared the monofill’s brief blaze to forest fires, which can stubbornly persist for sometime underground.
“Actual fire” only happened briefly in April, Micciche said after the meeting. But, despite the use of a large amount of gravel, ultimately covering the entire face of the cell, it remains smoldering underground. That’s why the borough is monitoring it and why he said they will release a statement this week. Monitoring is ongoing, and “intermittent smoke” may be observable.
“We certainly wouldn’t put our workers in harm’s way, or the public,” he said. “If we thought it was something serious, we would close the facility.”
The full recording of the assembly meeting will be available at kpb.legistar.com. Emergency notices, including updates on natural disasters like fires, are posted by the borough’s Office of Emergency Management on Facebook at “KPB Alerts.”
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
