Palo Alto Suffers Toxic Smoke Of Buring Compost Heaps

Compost piles caught fire at a Palo Alto landfill Wednesday night and are expected to continue burning for the next two or three days, officials said.

Residents, meanwhile, were cautioned about the respiratory dangers associated with smoke inhalation.

Flames and smoke were spotted around 5:15 p.m. at the landfill south of Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto, off of Highway 101, according to Barbara Cimino, a spokesperson for the Palo Alto Fire Department.

Palo Alto and Mountain View fire crews will be working in shifts around the clock for the next few days to knock down and spray water on the 10-15 foot piles of vegetation and other organic material that sit on about an acre and a half at the land fill, Cimino said.