I live near Helotes, TX which just happens to have, correction had, a very large pile of mulch sitting off a back farm road for years. This pile of mulch is massive as seen here on Google Maps. At any rate, it caught fire on Christmas Day and has been burning since. On the 26th it was a glorious bonfire of epic size. Now it has been reduced to a smoldering pile of firewood that is generating large quantities of smoke that tend to blow straight at my house about a mile away. Last night it was so bad that we had to stay with my in-laws. The state has just stepped in to put out this massive fire as the town of Helotes only has a Volunteer FD.

Here’s a few pics and videos (video 1, video 2) of it taken by a few locals.

Here are a few more links about the fire:
Statesman.com
MySA.com

They announced on Monday that a plan to put it out was in motion but could take until Jan 24th to fully extinguish the fire. That would put it at a full month from start to end. I wonder what the long term health ramifications will be for people living in the area? Breathing smoke from a fire everyday for a month? This can’t be good.