AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – After an investigation into the Stinky Fire that damaged 77 homes in Potter County, the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office has released the cause to be undetermined.
The City of Amarillo says the independent investigation was requested by Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley to look into the cause of the Amarillo landfill fire that started May 17.
The report says a 911 call reported the fire around 3:30 p.m. on May 17 near Bezner Drive.
Both Potter County Fire Rescue and Amarillo Fire Departments responded to find heavy smoke coming from inside the south side of the Amarillo landfill.
Officials say the fire began in an area known as “Cell 10.”
The following day around 3 p.m., the fire quickly spread past the landfill due to severe fire weather conditions.
On May 27, Amarillo Fire Marshal Cody Snyder contacted the State Fire Marshal to conduct an unbiased and independent investigation on the cause of the fire.
The report says the State Fire Marshal was not able to conduct an origin and cause investigation due to the fire being in an active landfill, which is a hazardous location.
The landfill had also been changed from its original state at the time of the fire because of dirt being placed onto burning materials.
However, it was clear the fire started in “Cell 10″ of the landfill and spread beyond because of fire weather conditions.
The report says the conditions of the destroyed homes, property and damaged homes had been changed by the owners and clean-up crews.
Due to this, the report says the cause of the fire is undetermined with the origin being listed as “Cell 10″ at the Amarillo landfill.
The State Fire Marshal also investigated a former employee of the City of the Amarillo. The report said they viewed several posts and determined the content did not show any criminal wrongdoing or indication that it was intentionally set.
The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office says this case is now closed.
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