Update on Ponderosa Landfill Fire from Blue Earth County Commissioner Bob Meyer

Blue Earth County Commissioner Bob Meyer joined Lisa Kaye on Wednesday and provided an update on the Ponderosa Landfill fire from Mid-May:

Meyer says the initial estimate of the Fire’s total area was roughly 1/4 of an acre. This occurred in the area considered the “active cell” which is a 2-3 acre area of the landfill.

No structures on the site were affected, which allowed the Landfill to open and operate under normal hours the following day.

Meyer said the fire took roughly 8 hours to put out, with multiple agencies including the Public Works Staff, Emergency Management and fire fighters responding to the fire.

Meyer also said while the cause of the fire is still unknown, improper disposal of batteries is one of the leading causes of fires at landfills like the Ponderosa. Blue Earth County has a Waste Wizard tool on their website to help determine how to properly dispose of waste items, including batteries.

All batteries are accepted at the Blue Earth County Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

You can listen to the full interview with Bob Meyer below