(La Porte, IN) - Firefighters continued efforts today to put out a fire at a huge composting pile near the La Porte County Fairgrounds.

 

A helicopter from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office flew in this morning and dropped about 50 loads of water with each load containing 250 gallons of water, said La Porte Assistant Fire Chief Kelly Burke.

 

Water continued to be applied at ground level and from aerial trucks while excavators kept digging into the pile of decaying leaves and brush and spreading the burning material on the ground to be soaked with water.

 

“There’s just an enormous amount of material to move through and sift through and put water on,” Burke said.

 

Burke said burning material in some spots was uncovered 15 to 20 feet deep into the pile.   The area burning is about 150 feet long and 200 feet wide in a pile along Zigler Road that’s at least 1,000 feet long.

 

“It’s a vast area of brush, grass, leaves and logs that have been piled up here for years,” he said.

 

Burke said it’s going to be a few more days, if not, a week before the flames in a blaze that started Sunday are extinguished or at least brought to a more manageable level.

 

The cause has not been determined but spontaneous combustion from heat generated by the decaying material beneath the ground or a lightning strike are among the possible reasons for the fire starting.

 

The composting pile belongs to the La Porte County Solid Waste District, which allows the public to dump yard waste and other green material at the site.

 

The composting pile is closed until further notice.

 

La Porte County Commissioner Steve Holifield is urging drivers to stay away from the site or risk being ticketed for going around road closure signs.

 

“The people are just getting in the way to be gawkers.  We don’t need gawkers up there,” he said.