County reports progress on multi-day landfill fire; landfill closed temporarily

County officials provided a detailed update on a landfill fire that began the prior week.

Speaker 6 told commissioners crews responded overnight and called in contractor support to create access to the burn area; firefighting and smothering efforts have continued with heavy equipment and donated trailers to support responders. He said crews are hauling roughly 300 loads of dirt per day and that teams expect about five days to finish smothering the active areas. "We're averaging around 300 loads a day," Speaker 6 said, describing the multi-agency response and praising volunteer fire departments and EMA for support.

Air-quality checks were reported as performed by the Kingsport Fire Department and described as 'no more than a house burning' in measured carbon output. For public safety, staff announced the county landfill will be closed for the week while operations continue and urged residents to consult the EMA app for regular updates.

Commissioners asked about state involvement and environmental inspections; staff said TDEC guidance informed response tactics and that runoff and stormwater checks had been completed. No formal vote was required for the operational decisions shared during this update.