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Department of Ecology News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 18, 1999

99-056

Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610

Chelan County man fined $22,000 for illegal dump fire

YAKIMA - An illegal garbage fire that burned for more than a month has resulted in a $22,000 penalty issued to a man who operates a non-permitted dump in Chelan County.

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued the penalty to Earl Burts for setting the fire that burned for 56 days in a steep ravine on Fairview Canyon Road near Monitor. Inspectors found the burning pile contained tin cans, painted wood, various metals, a couch, other furniture frames and springs, a television with a picture tube, and various plastic and glass products.

State law prohibits outdoor fires containing garbage, dead animals, asphalt, petroleum products, paints, rubber, plastics, paper, cardboard, treated wood, construction debris, metal, or any substance other than natural vegetation that normally emits dense smoke or obnoxious odors.

"Harmful pollutants are released when illegal materials are burned," said Donna Smith, with Ecology's air program. "This penalty sends the message that such violations are taken seriously."

On three separate visits to the site, Ecology inspectors informed Burts the fire was illegal and must be extinguished. He also was told to put out the fire by the Department of Natural Resources, which provides fire protection for the land. It burned from Dec. 5, 1998, to Jan. 19, 1999.

Ecology received 21 complaints that smoke from the fire was entering neighbors’ homes and causing adverse health effects. Although Burts placed a small amount of soil over parts of the burning pile and applied some water, his efforts to extinguish the fire were ineffective, Smith said.

Under the state Clean Air Act, Ecology has authority to penalize Burts up to $10,000 per day per violation. In calculating the penalty, the agency took into account past violations at the site. Since 1991, Burts has been cited several times for burning prohibited materials, and emitting smoke that affected neighboring homes and businesses.

Burts may appeal the penalty to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.

"We hope citizens will learn from this situation and make sure they take their garbage and other waste materials to approved disposal sites," said Randall Doneen, with Ecology's solid-waste program. "There is no environmental oversight at illegal dumps to prevent fires and the accumulation of hazardous wastes."

Doneen notes companies, institutions, agencies and individuals who take garbage or demolition debris to an illegal dump may be found liable for polluting a site. In addition, unsuspecting buyers may unwittingly purchase an illegal dumpsite that has been covered up and may be liable for cleanup costs if contamination is found.

"To be on the safe side it is best to contact your county solid-waste program to learn where specific kinds of wastes will be properly handled," Doneen said.

Legal solid-waste facilities in North Central Washington include:

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