WINDFALL, Ind. — A smoldering pile of cob and straw is causing concern for people living in Windfall.
The fire has been filling the area with smoke for more than a week and people have been raising concerns about health effects.
The pile that is burning is approximately 100 feet by 75 feet and 30 feet high, and it is believed it caught fire through spontaneous combustion.
The Wildcat Township Fire Department posted that IDEM had come out to check the fire, but determined the smoke was more of just a nuisance and there was nothing it could do.
On Wednesday, the decision was made to help with the pile burning. The idea was that if it burned hotter, it would be cleaner. If the fire department continued putting water on it, then it would slow the process and prolong the smoke. Crews from Simpson Straw are said to be working around the clock to burn the pile.
Wildcat Township Fire Department estimates all the responding departments had used more than 300,000 gallons of water on the fire and could not get it out.
