Iowa City landfill fire last Sunday morning.

Update:  Click here for the June 4 update on the plan to extinguish the fire.

It is estimated that the equivalent of 1.3 million tires are currently burning on the west side of Iowa City.

There is little detailed information available and a disturbing lack of local reporting on the landfill fire so far.  No mention of it at all in the Iowa City Press-Citizen Sunday.  And you can scan today’s P-C also and find not a single line devoted to information or a progress update on what has been done and what is being done to extinguish the fire. It’s as if we’re pretending it’s not happening.

Someone pointed out that living near the landfill fire isn’t as bad as living near a CAFO, a permanent problem. That is a very good point assuming they will ever put the tires out.

So no local reporting, but there is a Facebook page! You can go there and make comments and ask questions.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Iowa-City-Landfill-Fire/247053792067064

Best Q asked on the FB page:

“With the equivalent of 1.3 million tires burning, this fire is among the larger tire fires experienced in the United States, many of which took weeks and months to self-extinguish. On what basis does the City estimate this will only last into next week?”

Too bad he’s not a member of the local media.  We would all like to know the answer to that.  As well as these:

• Is there an investigation in process to determine how the fire started?

• City officials said that the fire was likely caused by someone dumping flammable materials. Is this speculation or is there evidence?

• What precautions were in place to prevent someone from tossing fire-causing items into the landfill?

• What do officials mean exactly by “several”days?

• What do officials mean exactly by “several more” days?

Iowa City website has a FAQ page that has not been updated since May 31.  Minimal information there.

The fire is currently in its 9th day of existence. The first official prediction was that it would take “several days” to extinguish. Now officials are saying it will take “several more” days.  And  of course it could smolder for much longer producing “smaller” amounts of smoke. According to Adam Bentley, Admin. Asst. to the Iowa City Manager:

“The heaviest portion of the burn will last for several more days. It is accurate to say that the ‘smoldering’ could extend for a longer period of time.”

A simple internet search reveals that tire fires can and frequently do take months to extinguish. Right now they are considering other plans but the current plan is to let it self-extinguish.

At the Melrose Exit 218 South last week