{"id":32609,"date":"2023-10-06T11:34:07","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T15:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=32609"},"modified":"2023-10-06T11:34:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T15:34:35","slug":"cronkite-news-landfill-fire-put-out-on-salt-river-pima-maricopa-indian-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/10\/06\/cronkite-news-landfill-fire-put-out-on-salt-river-pima-maricopa-indian-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Landfill fire put out on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community"},"content":{"rendered":" \"Salt<\/a>
Scottsdale and East Valley residents have seen and smelled smoke for several days from a landfill fire on the Salt River Indian Reservation. Photo taken in Scottsdale on October 3, 2023. Courtesy photo <\/figcaption>\r\n
Smoke from the Salt River landfill fire could cause health problems<\/div>\r\n
Friday, October 6, 2023<\/div>\r\n
By Deanna Pistono<\/div>\r\n
Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n
cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nPHOENIX, Arizona — A fire that broke out at a landfill at about 4 p.m. last Saturday on the Salt River Indian Reservation, near N. Beeline Highway east of Scottsdale, had been reduced to a smolder by Tuesday afternoon this week.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAfter firefighters were done combating the blaze, said Chuck Kmet, emergency manager for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community<\/a>, a green waste contractor was hired to help further manage the remaining smolder.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThough the flame has been stifled, the lingering smoke may cause or exacerbate various health concerns, one expert said.\r\n

<\/p> \"Salt<\/a>

Scottsdale firefighters assisted the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in battling a landfill fire near N. Beeline Highway and Gilbert Road. According to the tribe, the fire has been suppressed with only minor smoldering remaining. This photo was taken September 30, 2023. Photo courtesy of City of Scottsdale, Arizona<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nStacey Mortenson at the American Lung Association in Arizona said people may experience a variety of symptoms in response to the smoke, such as wheezing, chest heaviness, lightheadedness, dizziness and shortness of, or difficulty taking, breaths.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cEven healthy individuals are at risk,\u201d said Mortenson, \u201cso people need to be very cognizant of any symptoms they may be developing \u2026 If the smoke is nearby and they are smelling it, if they are smelling it, they\u2019re likely inhaling it.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThough everyone who can smell the smoke could be at risk, there are still particular groups that have been identified at higher risk. Mortensen said these include \u201cchildren under the age of 18, seniors over the age of 65 and those who have chronic conditions, especially including asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), chronic heart disease and diabetes.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nMortenson added: \u201cSmoke \u2026 has very small particles in it. It can be just a third of the width of a human hair\u2026you\u2019re not going to feel that you breathed it in, but that very small particle can start to lodge in your lungs and build up.\u201d\r\n

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