Pettis County Responds to Central Missouri Landfill Fire

A fire at Central Missouri Landfill sent thick, black smoke into the air Monday afternoon as the Pettis County Fire Protection District responded to the scene on Oak Grove Lane around 3:20 p.m.

According to Fire Chief Mike Harding, there was a large amount of shredded tires used to weigh down tarps to prevent soil erosion of the hillside that had caught on fire. The fire was moving fast towards the impacted trash area.

After an investigation, there was not any equipment on fire and no explosions. PCFD started a water shuttle with several tankers to drop tanks to provide apparatus with water to fight the fire. PCFD also used the foam application from the apparatus to assist in fighting the fire.

The initial cause of the blaze was possibly a spark from the equipment that pushes the trash and compacts it. Central Missouri Landfill Management was extremely helpful in assisting with heavy equipment to help put the fire out, Chief Harding said.

PCFD had the fire under control in about two hours and remained on scene until approximately 8:30 p.m., hitting hot spots to make sure the fire stayed under control.

During this process, PCFD was monitoring the air quality and the direction of the smoke.

"Due to no wind, the smoke from the fire was rising straight up which did not affect air quality. With all fires, this is something we monitor for the safety of the public and our Firefighters,” Harding stated.

PCFD had nine pumper tankers/watertankers, three pumpers, three service trucks, three brush trucks, and approximately 30 firefighters on scene, he added.

No injuries were reported.

Missouri Highway Patrol Pettis County Deputies and Sedalia Police set up traffic control perimeters near the scene, as the fire drew immense interest from area residents curious about the black plume of smoke rising straight up in the air on the western edge of Sedalia.