Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday declared a state of emergency in St. Clair County, where a landfill fire has burned since November. The declaration allows county officials to move forward with plans to hire contractors to extinguish the fire, which has prompted complaints about the air quality from area residents, who say they have suffered health problems. The effort will be lead by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“By authorizing the EPA to respond to this fire, we are ensuring it will be addressed in the fastest and safest way possible. It is imperative that this situation be solved and solved right for the sake of the folks in Moody and all people affected by this fire. I am pleased at this next step, and to ensure we are doing everything possible from the state level, I am also issuing a limited state of emergency for St. Clair County to give local officials another layer of support as they deal with this fire.”
-Gov. Kay Ivey