Heat wave leads to compost site blaze in Wixom

WIXOM, Mich. (WJBK) - Firefighters had their hands full battling a large compost site blaze in Wixom.

Fire crews are blaming the heat wave, mixed with the natural biodegration process of the compost site for a large fire.

"Twigs, mulch, wood, leaves, grass clippings, and especially with the intense heat that we've had, it took a long time to completely extinguish," said Ron Moore, Wixom director of public Safety.

The compost yard on Charms Road was up in smoke just before 5 a.m. Tuesday and as the day got hotter, so did the fire.

"The compost mulch pile behind me was fully engulfed in flames," Moore said. "There was an area of approximately 100 feet by 100 feet and about 20 feet deep, completely engulfed in flames."

The city owned yard is not near neighborhoods or other buildings, still a smoke warning was sent out prompting indoor recess for one middle school. The fire mostly put out by the afternoon.

And it took a lot of effort. 375,000 gallons of water had to be used to fight the blaze.

Crews will be on site overnight keeping an eye on hot spots and flare ups. And likely even through Wednesday, just to make sure the last day of this heat wave, doesn't cause fire to spark again.