Fire Officials Finally Devise Strategy to Dampen Smoldering Compost Heap

As public frustration mounted, fire officials said Thursday they have finally devised a plan to extinguish a compost fire that has sent plumes of acrid smoke over much of western Ventura County the last five days.

But they warn things will get worse before they get better.

Northwest winds of up to 25 mph this afternoon could send clouds of pungent smoke as far north as Piru and as far east as Thousand Oaks and possibly into western Los Angeles County, officials said.

Those with already stuffy noses and scratchy throats can expect more aggravation at least through the weekend as firefighters continue to battle the smoldering heap at PictSweet Mushroom Farms near Ventura.

PictSweet has hired bulldozers to work around the clock, transferring tons of the smoldering mixture of straw and horse manure from a six-acre lot to an adjacent 45-acre parcel near Telephone Road and Olivas Park Drive. The mixture lies in patches as deep as 15 feet. The compost is used to fertilize mushrooms.

That extra room would allow firefighters to spread the mixture out thinly and extinguish it more easily, said Sandi Wells, county fire spokeswoman. An environmental testing service was called in to ensure the burning compost does not contain any chemicals that could damage lima beans and other crops grown nearby throughout the year.

“It appears to provide a means of extinguishing the fire without discharging large volumes of polluted water to the Santa Clara River or to ground water,” said John Buse, staff attorney for the Environmental Defense Center. “We’re pleased that the plan recognizes the genuine concern about the water-quality impacts of fighting the fire.”

Since Sunday night, when the heap ignited, apparently from its own heat, officials had taken no action. They were prepared to let the pile burn itself out over a period of several weeks. They feared that trying to hose it down could send billowing clouds of smoke into nearby residential areas or contaminate the Santa Clara River, harming wildlife.

But as the pile continued to smolder, headaches and allergy symptoms kicked in and tempers flared among neighbors and politicians.

“I’m getting calls from people in northwest Oxnard who are right in the line of fire,” said county Supervisor John Flynn on Thursday, shortly before a solution was announced.

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“It’s permeating the County Government Center,” added Flynn. “People’s clothing--when they get home they can smell it. They are disgusted that nothing is happening. We can’t just let it sit there.”

Fumes have sent at least one area resident to the hospital with difficulty breathing and others to emergency rooms seeking treatment for itchy eyes and sore throats. Overall, public health officials said the general population was not at risk, but warned that senior citizens and asthma sufferers needed to stay indoors and take extra precautions.

The cost of the blaze has not been estimated, Wells said. PictSweet has hired its contractors to do much of the work extinguishing it. It has not been decided whether the company will reimburse the county for its help.

Whether PictSweet will face fines also has yet to be determined, said Ruben Franco, the company’s general manager. “We’ve been working closely with the Fire Department to try to solve the problem as quickly as possible,” he said.

Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), whose district includes parts of western Ventura County, said she is concerned about what precautions were taken before the heap ignited.

“My first question is, how did such a fire start?” she said. “When you’ve got compost, you’ve got to anticipate there could be adverse effects. You’ve got to have systems in place.

“We’re going to be monitoring this very carefully and making sure they took all the necessary precautions,” Jackson added. “And if not, make sure they are fined.”

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County officials said the fertilizer heap was three times as large as normal. Franco acknowledged there was a 90-day supply there rather than a typical 30-day reserve. That’s because an ongoing labor dispute between the company and its union employees has led to boycotts of the product by some major grocers, he said. Therefore, fewer mushrooms are being grown.

“When you don’t sell the mushrooms you’ve got to cut production,” Franco said.

He blamed recent rains for helping to start the fire. He said the moisture created conditions that--unlikely as it sounds--made combustion more likely.

Smoke samples were being sent to state health officials in Oakland for analysis. At least a dozen county, state and federal agencies are monitoring the fire.

Area schools continue to take precautions, holding gym classes indoors. At Buena High School in Ventura, athletic officials considered calling off a track meet, but let it proceed when air conditions improved.

Allergist Lewis Kanter said compost breeds mold that also could cause reactions. He advised offices to consider turning off heaters that draw in air from outdoors. People feeling extra sensitive to the smoke and odor should consider purchasing allergy masks, for about $10, from area physicians, Kanter said.

Wells said she knows the public has been frustrated with the smoldering fire. But she said the Fire Department believed it was important to proceed with caution before extinguishing it.

“It is frustrating,” she said. “We do want to mitigate it as quickly as possible. We’d much rather take it slowly and not do damage to health and [the] environment. We do feel we have the most viable answer right now and we are pursuing it.”

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Times photographer Steve Osman contributed to this story.