Chester County landfill fire still smolders 5 months later

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — A fire continues to smolder at a Chester County landfill more than five months after dozens of firefighters spent a week fighting a raging blaze at the site.

Smoke still occasionally rolls through Lockhart from the Bennett Landfill. State officials sometimes recommend that people stay indoors.

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Broad River Mart owner Gus Poulos says the smoldering fire hurts his business because customers don't want to come through the haze, especially for biscuits and other breakfast items in the morning when the air is the worst.

"They can't stand the smoke. We put tape on the door back here to keep the smoke out of the inside, but the exhaust fan sucks it right in, Poulos told Channel 9's partners at The Herald of Rock Hill.

RAW VIDEO: Chester County landfill fire

It took firefighters from five counties along with state and federal help to get the large fire under control in November. But wood and other trash below the surface continues to smolder and likely won't be extinguished unless Chester County can get federal money to completely seal the landfill, county emergency planner Ed Darby said.

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"I know it's annoying, and there are health concerns with breathing issues," Darby said, "But what we have there now, we can't fix. That's why we need the federal superfunds."

The phone number at the now locked landfill is no longer in service, the newspaper reported.

View from Chopper 9: Fire burns at Chester County landfill

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control has an air monitor behind Poulos' store and at two other sites in the area. The agency recommends people stay inside when the smoke is at its worst, but hasn't detected enough pollution to call for federal help.

"The concentrations can change a lot," said Scott Reynolds, director of air quality analysis at DHEC. "You might have a very high concentration for an hour or two here at city hall, before the wind picks up and disperses it."

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