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Philly Firefighters-"We don't need no stinkin' Trash!
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The city said it will begin a cleanup this
week of a 45,000-ton pile of illegally dumped trash and debris that
has been smoldering, off and on, for several years.
The garbage, heaped on seven acres of undeveloped land near
Philadelphia International Airport, has been a major headache for
city firefighters, who have visited it dozens of times to try and
extinguish an unseen fire burning within it. Acrid smoke from the
mysterious blaze has been a source of frequent complaints by area
residents.
Philadelphia Managing Director Philip Goldsmith said there may
be a temporary increase in smoke from the site, starting this week,
as work crews douse "hot spots" in the pile with water and haul
away the extinguished sections.
"Once the pile hot spots are cooled, there should be no more
smoke coming from the site," he said.
City officials said in March that it could cost more than $1
million to clean up the 2.8 acre site. A spokeswoman for Mayor John
Street said Thursday that she didn't know how much the city had
agreed to pay for the work.
The 10-foot-high hill of junk was created by a city demolition
contractor, and was originally located in a residential
neighborhood in North Philadelphia before officials had it moved to
its present home near the banks of the Schuylkill river. It was
supposed to have been removed in the 1980s, but never was.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
week of a 45,000-ton pile of illegally dumped trash and debris that
has been smoldering, off and on, for several years.
The garbage, heaped on seven acres of undeveloped land near
Philadelphia International Airport, has been a major headache for
city firefighters, who have visited it dozens of times to try and
extinguish an unseen fire burning within it. Acrid smoke from the
mysterious blaze has been a source of frequent complaints by area
residents.
Philadelphia Managing Director Philip Goldsmith said there may
be a temporary increase in smoke from the site, starting this week,
as work crews douse "hot spots" in the pile with water and haul
away the extinguished sections.
"Once the pile hot spots are cooled, there should be no more
smoke coming from the site," he said.
City officials said in March that it could cost more than $1
million to clean up the 2.8 acre site. A spokeswoman for Mayor John
Street said Thursday that she didn't know how much the city had
agreed to pay for the work.
The 10-foot-high hill of junk was created by a city demolition
contractor, and was originally located in a residential
neighborhood in North Philadelphia before officials had it moved to
its present home near the banks of the Schuylkill river. It was
supposed to have been removed in the 1980s, but never was.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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