* Wednesday, August 28, 2019
This page will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
Latest Update
EPA’s primary incident objective continues to be extinguishing the fire while minimizing impact to public health.
Today’s Observations
Air Quality in the area, including at Okatie Elementary, were “Good” on the Air Quality Index.
Onsite EPA activities continued to focus on firefighting and minimizing runoff. They have continued using a vacuum truck to capture water and send it directly to the sanitary sewer system for treatment.
Minimal smoke was noted in the morning and smoke decreased through the day as crews continued to segregate debris and apply water as needed.
Public drinking water in the area has not been impacted by the Able Fire.
If your tap water comes from Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority your drinking water has not been impacted by the incident at Able Contracting.
| Total Trucks through 8/27 | 569 |
| Total Tons through 8/27 | 5,380 |
| Trucks as of 3:00 PM 8/28 | 51 |
| Tons as of 3:00 PM 8/28 | 510 |
Please note: The number of trucks leaving the site each day varies depending on the weather and firefighting activities. Also, the tons per truck are estimated on days when landfill receipts are not available at the time of this update.
Smoke forecast for Thursday, August 29, 2019:
A light southwesterly wind this evening will likely slowly shift to a northeasterly direction by mid-morning Thursday, which should shift the Able fire smoke plume generally toward the southwest during that time. Overnight minor smoke is a possibility, and increased wind speeds may allow smoke concentrations to decrease as it gets dispersed. Smoke may become more noticeable around sunrise as winds die down. Before sunrise, there is a possibility of smoke to the south of the Able facility, particularly near the Sun City and Argent Lakes Subdivision, and the 1000 Block of Okatie Hwy. Beyond mid-morning on Thursday, slight vertical mixing should disperse the smoke plume as winds shift more from the northeasterly direction during the afternoon. Please note that locations closest to the Able Contracting Recycling facility along Schinger Avenue are more likely to experience smoke at any given time.
The Able Contracting Information 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.
Please click here for real-time data from the air sensors.
For media inquiries: media@dhec.sc.gov.
For other inquiries: ablefire@dhec.sc.gov.
Stay Informed
This page will be updated regularly as information becomes available.