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Unlicensed landfill burns for months near Atlanta airport

Posted at 6:09 AM, Feb 15, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-15 06:09:41-05

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. (AP) — An unlicensed landfill just south of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta has been burning for nearly five months, sending sulfur-scented smoke throughout the area.

State Environmental Protection Division spokesman Kevin Chambers tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the property owner hasn't cooperated with efforts to dampen the flames. South Fulton Mayor Bill Edwards says Tandy Ross Bullock has already been jailed twice over the six-acre fire. The county has been fighting with Bullock over the unlicensed landfill since at least 2007.

State environmental officials and Democratic Rep. Debra Bazemore say emergency funds will be used to extinguish the fire. Chambers says the expected cost is still being determined. Federal health officials on Monday warned the smoke may cause headaches and respiratory irritation, but isn't expected to cause long-term health issues.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com