COOKSVILLE, N.C. — Some families in western Catawba County have avoided going outside for weeks due to a fire at a barn that holds chicken waste. It’s been burning since Oct. 27.
[ READ MORE >> Chicken litter storage barn fire causes lingering smoke in Catawba County ]
Neighbors told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty the smoke coming from the farm on Old Shelby Road gets bad in the evening and early in the morning.
The owners of the farm say part of the problem is that the roof collapsed at their chicken litter pole barn during the fire.
Investigators say underneath the roof is tons of chicken waste that continues to smolder. According to the fire department, when they try to spray water on it, it just makes the smoke worse.
“I can see this thick haze just walking through the air,” one resident Janet Campbell said. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“It’s been hard to breathe,” neighbor John Tessner said. “They can’t get it out someway, and it keeps coming back.”
The owner of the farm says the local fire department checks on the fire on a daily basis, but it could be a month before it’s completely out.