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EPA says Attica fire is extinguished

The Environmental Protection Agency says a fire in a glass and plastic recycling operation in Attica is out, after weeks of effort.

An estimated 49,000 cubic yards of glass and plastic had accumulated at the Hillcrest Industries recycling plant and started burning, emitting a foul stench across the village. State and federal officials moved in to move the burning material around and extinguish it.

Public Affairs Officer Elias Rodriguez says the next step is to make sure the fire doesn't re-start.

"Next is a fire management and temperature monitoring plan which which will be in place until the material is processed and removed from the site," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez says nothing has actually been removed yet. Because the situation involves both EPA and Department of Environmental Conservation, the agencies are working together on making sure the fire stays out and the material is cleaned up.

"Now that it's been broken up and the hot areas have been cooled off, the fire has been extinguished and we can now decide what the appropriate next steps are to address the smaller piles," said Rodriguez.

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.
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