* Thursday, August 15, 2019
This page will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
Latest Update
This is an emergency response situation that is constantly changing. We planned for and may continue to encounter situations that require a change in protocol or activity level.
There was a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon that cut short the number of trucks that left the site. Twenty-five truckloads of debris were removed from the site today.
Worker safety regulations are being followed by the contractor on the site, including the use of real time chemical sensors to provide guidance regarding the need for respiratory protection for workers on site.
During afternoon fire-fighting operations today, while responding to an open flame and significant increase in visible smoke, the contractor’s real time chemical sensor detected levels of hydrogen cyanide above the site-specific action levels. Employees of the contractor backed away from the area and put on additional personal protective equipment and walked the meter away from the site.
EPA monitors also detected hydrogen cyanide, however it was at a lower concentration and below the site-specific action levels. Out of an abundance of caution, businesses located on Mackinlay Way and Schinger Avenue were notified of the readings and advised to leave their buildings until further notice.
Smoke forecast for Friday, August 16, 2019:
A light wind from the southwest tonight and early Friday, and a little stronger from the south Friday afternoon, should continue to move the Able fire smoke plume generally in a north to northeast direction through Friday. The atmosphere remains moist and smoke trapping will be minimal. However, periods of smoke are possible in the vicinity of Hearthstone Lakes Subdivision, Brooke Mill Apartment Complex, and Okatie Highway and Argent Blvd. Smoke will be most prevalent overnight Thursday and early Friday, dissipating by late morning Friday. Locations closest to the Able Contracting Recycling facility along Schinger Avenue are more likely to experience smoke at any given time.
The Smoke Forecast Hotline has been established to provide the daily forecast and allow community members to leave messages if they have additional questions. The Smoke Forecast Hotline phone number is 803-898-4262 or 1-800‐204-1842.
For media inquiries: media@dhec.sc.gov.
For other inquiries: ablefire@dhec.sc.gov.