A large fire at a Knoxville waste and recycling center is very similar to one that sparked in 2012 at a mulch facility that burned for a week.
Shamrock Organics on Ailor Avenue caught fire on April 15, sending giant plumes of smoke into the air over Knoxville. It prompted air quality alerts and a fish kill in a nearby creek.
The Knoxville Fire Department sprayed more than 25 million gallons on the smoldering mountains of mulch spread over nine acres before the fire was completely out.
Fire investigators could not determine what started that fire, but huge piles of debris from storm damage in Knoxville helped fuel it.
A Code Red Air Quality Alert was issued for Knoxville while that fire was burning, meaning the air was unhealthy for everyone. The main concern then was carbon monoxide. So far, firefighters don't believe the current fire is a danger to air quality at this time.
The fish were killed not from hazardous chemicals, but from a change in water temperature caused by runoff from all the water fire fighters were pouring on the fire. No long term damage was done.