FORT SMITH, Arkansas – Last Tuesday, high winds turned a grass fire at the abandoned Army barracks at Fort Chaffee into a multi-million dollar hazardous waste cleanup area that will require state and federal aid.
The fire destroyed about 150 buildings dating from World War II, most of them abandoned barracks and a few buildings used by local businesses. The buildings had been slated for destruction, but the destruction was delayed because of the cost. The buildings all contained asbestos, and removal would have cost around $15,000 per building, or about $2.25 million.
Ivy Owen, director of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, says that the fire was not the cost-saving blessing some have suggested. Instead of spending the money to demolish the buildings, said Owen, the authority will now have to fund cleanup of a hazardous area, thanks to the asbestos and lead paint in the buildings.
Because of the asbestos and the lead contaminating the debris and the grounds, he said, the process of removing the remains and cleansing the area will cost about $4 million. That figure is based on estimates from the Environment Enterprises Group, based in Russellville.

The day after the fire, Sebastian County Judge David Hudson declared the fire site a disaster area. Owen hopes that the Arkansas State Department of Environmental Management concurs with Hudson’s assessment. If that happens, the authority will be eligible for state funds to assist in the cleanup.

Owen says that Sebastian County has never dealt with anything similar before. Removing the toxic debris and stripping the burned acres of contaminants is a “pressing priority”, Owen said. Both lead and asbestos are known to be present in the debris remaining after the fire. Lead exposure causes brain damage in both children and adults, as well as neurological problems. Asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma, a rare cancer, and asbestosis, among many other cancers and related illnesses.

The weather has been cooperative. The early reports of the fire stated that the high winds that fanned the flames also dispersed any lead or asbestos particles that may have been in the thick smoke, making it less likely that neighbors in the surrounding community would have been exposed to asbestos or lead. Since the fire, rain and generally moist conditions have helped damp down the debris and kept dust from releasing asbestos fibers into the air.

When the area dries out, though, said Owen, asbestos will become a problem again, though the lead paint won’t be as hazardous because it’s in the ground. Asbestos fibers, however, could be stirred by the wind and become airborne.

The authority has fenced the entire area to keep out passersby and tourists. The fire affected 100 acres of land. The fence is nine-tenths of a mile long.

The DEQ will test the soil at Chaffee to determine the amount of lead and asbestos contamination. If the asbestos and lead paint contamination is higher than a certain percentage, the debris will have to be transported to a hazardous waste dispoal site in Oklahoma. That, says Owen, will cost a lot more than $4 million.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Arkansas, Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.