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Fire at toxic metro Atlanta landfill still burning, four years after it broke out

The fire at a toxic landfill in Metro Atlanta is still burning, four years after it first broke out.

Neighbors say it’s putting their health at risk.

“Very irritating and aggravating,” said neighbor, Lagina Yielding.

From News Drone 2 on Thursday night, we could see a familiar sight — smoke billowing from the landfill in the city of South Fulton.

“Here recently it’s just constant smell and smoke,” said Yielding.

Neighbors told me they recently called 911 when they saw flames erupting from the landfill on Bishop Road once again --— four years after fire first broke out at the site.

“We’ve had to stay in the house,” said Yielding. “We’ve had all kinds of issues with smoke.”

We’ve reported on the fire at the private landfill since the fall of 2018.

Once again, we tried calling the owner of the landfill Tandy Bullock, to ask him why he’ has not cleaned up the site, even after receiving multiple citations and fines.

He later called us back and told us he couldn’t comment, but also added his attorney would be in touch.

“His attempt to do self-cleanup of the site for lack of a better word has made it worse,” said South Fulton city councilman, Jaceey Sebastian, who also lives near the landfill.

He says just this week, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division asked a judge for an emergency hearing on the landfill, after the agency says the landfill owner failed to provide updates on his efforts to clean up the site.

An EPA study found concerning levels of six chemicals at the landfill.

Sebastian says he’s hopeful the state or city can hire their own experts to clean up the site, and finally put the fire out.

“We should be able to contact these people, bring them in and have them take a look at this thing and figure it out,” said Sebastian.

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