Chesapeake
Fire department reveals what sparked massive mulch fire in Chesapeake
CHESAPEAKE, Va. —
Chesapeake firefighters are still working to fully extinguish a large mulch fire in Bowers Hill after the fire broke out at a construction facility on South Military Highway.
After receiving multiple calls about smoke and flames on Wednesday, fire crews arrived at the 4000 block of Military Highway to find a large mulch pile on fire that employees were trying to put out. Crews have been on scene since shortly after noon Wednesday.
"We've been out here since about a little after 12 o'clock yesterday and at this point, the fire is confined to a relatively small area, maybe an acre or so is left burning," said Michael Ignatowicz, assistant fire marshal with the Chesapeake Fire Department.
WATCH: Video shows crews battling massive mulch fire on South Military Highway in Chesapeake
The fire has affected about three acres total at what Ignatowicz says is Vico Construction, a business that processes mulch. The challenge for firefighters is accessing the heart of the fire - a large mulch processing machine sits in the middle of the pile.
"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 explained. "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 cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Ignatowicz says spontaneous combustion is a possibility.
"The exact cause I'm unsure of. It could be a spontaneous combustion issue, which happens a lot of times with mulch piles. They just get hot from sitting out on a hot, sunny day," he said. "Our investigators are still here taking a look at everything and the cause is undetermined right now."
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.
There is no estimated time of completion for the incident as of Thursday afternoon.
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