White County solid waste committee says landfill fire sparked review of permit and emergency protocol
Summary
Committee members reported an Easter Sunday fire in a Class 3 area of the county landfill, said Waste Management responded, and said staff will meet with Waste Management, local fire chiefs and EMA to clarify permit and response protocol; TDEC review of permit notifications remains pending.
White County solid waste committee members reported that a fire occurred on Easter Sunday in a Class 3 area of the county landfill and that Waste Management responded and extinguished the blaze. Members said Waste Management and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) have exchanged permit notifications and that TDEC has two weeks to respond to a recent submission.
Committee chair Dakota White and other members said county staff plan a meeting later this month with Waste Management, Emergency Management Agency (EMA) staff and local fire chiefs to establish or clarify protocol for responding to landfill fires. Committee members said a contractor working on clearing and burning debris had obtained a fire permit but that communication about the burn had broken down and multiple parties were not informed before the burn occurred.
A committee member said trees had already been cleared at the site and that the contractor “pulled a fire permit,” but “apparently nobody told anybody.” Committee discussion noted that the county and Waste Management will continue to coordinate with TDEC while awaiting the agency’s response.
The committee did not take a formal vote on remediation or code changes at the meeting; members described the next step as the multi‑agency meeting to refine response procedures and clarify permit requirements. No timeline for changes to permits or operational protocols was set during the discussion.
