Crew to take apart debris, put out fire

ATTICA, N.Y. (WIVB) - The winds of change may finally be blowing through Attica, getting rid of a sickening stench. Many Attica residents can breathe a sigh of relief Thursday morning. The EPA says the stench in the area is coming from a fire under a 40-foot pile of recyclables, it’s releasing plastic and glass gases. Now that they know the problem, they can start working to solve it.

EPA Representative Mike Basile said, “Once the fire is out, the odor should go away.”

Basile says the EPA was called in 12 days ago to help bring an end to the problem. The solution developed between the EPA and Hillcrest Recycling is for the debris pile to be disassembled and the fire to be put out as it’s done.

Basile said, “They'll just take the debris, set it aside, make sure the fire is gone and we'll do it until the entire one-acre cap has been controlled.”

The work should begin Saturday and is expected to take between four and seven days, providing relief for residents who have had enough.

Attica Resident Randy Ellis said, “You can't live like this way, something has got to be done. We can not as human beings be expected to live like this.”

The EPA says, once the fire is out and the odor dissipates, any other issues that residents may have are going to have to be discussed with the State of New York that permits the facility to operate.