© Ben Goff/The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File
In this Jan. 17, 2019 file photo, staff from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality install a meteorological station to record wind speed and direction at the former stump dump site in Bella Vista, Ark. The underground fire at the illegal dumping site in northwest Arkansas has been smoldering for at least seven months, sending noxious smoke throughout the community, with costs to extinguish it estimated in the tens of millions. The fire, which started in July is beneath dozens of feet of waste and dirt in a former dump intended for tree limbs and stumps.
Chris Nelson, 40, lives with his wife and 4-year-old son in a house that's a little more than 1000 feet (305 meters) from the shuttered dumping site. He said his family has experienced a persistent cough since the blaze started, his wife has been diagnosed with bronchitis and his son has been on multiple rounds of antibiotics.
"I'm a veteran and this is probably one of the worst, most stressful situations to live in," Nelson said. "It's been hell."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality have been monitoring the air around the site, and most of the readings have come back at "good" or "moderate" levels. But one EPA reading in December came back with an "unhealthy" level, prompting the Arkansas Department of Health to issue a
health alert, warning residents to "avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors," including "running, playing or yardwork."
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