Big Burn
There is a huge mountain of branches and wood chips outside Helotes (less that two miles from our apartment) that caught fire around Christmas. The pile of mulch, which has been sitting in an open field for more than a decade, is about 400 feet long (a football field is 360 feet long), 225 feet wide, and 70 feet tall. Experts have predicted that if the pile were allowed to burn itself out, it would take over a year. The entire city smells like an ashtray all day long. Some days are better than others depending on the direction of the wind. I have had non-stop allerygy issues since the fire started. It sucks.
But it sure does look neat at night! So I went to the pile with my friend Harry and took some pictures. Find a positive in a bad situation, right.
Enjoy
But it sure does look neat at night! So I went to the pile with my friend Harry and took some pictures. Find a positive in a bad situation, right.
Enjoy
posted by Sean | 2:32 PM
2 Comments:
Sean, those pics are really beautiful! However, I'm confused about why San Antonio would let a fire just burn for that long! I am pretty sure that, in Austin, people would get up in arms about it. I think I'd send a letter to someone about the allergy problem (Just a suggestion ...)!
People are definitely up in arms over the burning heap. Crews are actively trying to put the fire out. The problem lies in its construction and enourmous size. The heap is built of layers of dirt and mulch and dirt and mulch and dirt and mulch etc... Combine the construction with the size of the pile (see post) and you have the makings of a big challenge. The owner of the land/heap had to bring in a fire crew from California to fight the fire. Also the city had to build a pipeline to supply enough water to fight the fire. Fire crews have put so much water on the heap that residents are now starting to experience smoky tasting tap water. The local health agency has confirmed that the water supply is now contaminated because of the run-off from the fire fighting.
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