Fire chief reveals what sparked massive mulch fire in Chesapeake

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Spontaneous combustion caused a large mulch fire that broke out Wednesday at a construction facility on South Military Highway in Chesapeake's Bowers Hill area, Fire Chief Steven Bradley said.

"The fire was determined to be caused by spontaneous combustion. As mulch and wood debris naturally decompose, they generate heat. In a pile this large, that heat can become trapped and build over time until the material reaches a temperature where it can ignite without an outside ignition source," Bradley said.

Firefighters have been working to extinguish the blaze at the 4000 block of South Military Highway since shortly after noon Wednesday. The fire broke out at Vico Construction, a business that processes mulch, and affected about three acres of the property.

Assistant fire marshal Michael Ignatowicz said the fire was confined to a relatively small area by Thursday.

"We've been out here since about a little after 12 o'clock [Wednesday] and at this point, the fire is confined to a relatively small area, maybe an acre or so is left burning," Ignatowicz said.

A large mulch processing machine in the middle of the pile complicated firefighters' efforts to access the heart of the fire.

"Out in the middle of this pile is a large processing machine where they would put the larger material into it and it would grind it up into mulch that they would sell to the public," Ignatowicz said. "The business owner is working with us with several pieces of equipment to move this larger material around for us so we can access it better with our streams."

The fire has since been confined to the area of origin, and crews are working to extinguish remaining hot spots. No injuries have been reported among workers or firefighters.

"There's no danger to any of the public around here. The air quality is relatively good at this point. The fire is contained. It's no danger of spreading," Ignatowicz said.

South Military Highway has reopened to all traffic. Drivers should be aware of excess water runoff from the incident across the roadway.

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