A burning pile of mulch

Out on the nortwest edge of San Antonio, there's a fire, and it could be burning for another year.

That's because it's a pile of mulch that is on fire. A big pile.

KSAT-TV reports:

HELOTES, Texas -- A giant mulch pile smoldering near Helotes would burn for at least a year if left alone, while dousing it would require as much as 100 million gallons of water over a week's time, according to a contractor's assessment. ...

"We have had the pile for at least 15 years and have always done what we were required to do," said Lennie Turpin, general manager for Zumwalt Construction. "We are doing all that we can right now to stop the fire by pulling the pile apart with backhoes." [emphasis added]

I think it's a little odd that there's a need for such a pile in the first place. A 15-year-old pile at that.

By the way, they suspect arson. There's a reward for information.

UPDATE: The owner of the pile now says that he will extinguish the fire in 45 days.

UPDATE II: The state wants immediate action. (from the Express-News)

State officials have demanded the owner of a massive pile of slow-burning mulch that has billowed smoke for nearly two weeks produce a written plan by Monday explaining how he'll snuff the blaze.

At the same time, they're contacting a private firefighting firm in case they need to step in and take over the job, said Richard Garcia, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regional director for the San Antonio area.

Sounds like a big job.