Berwick fire chief: Other departments may not respond to next landfill fire

The next fire at the Babe Landry Landfill may draw a smaller turnout from local fire departments if something isn't done to help them do the job..

Berwick Fire Chief Allen Rink's report to the Town Council on Tuesday included information on the Aug. 22 fire at the landfill, which was reported to the Berwick volunteers about 6 p.m. that night. The landfill is outside Berwick, but the town's volunteers responded along with seven other departments.

The cause of the fire remains uncertain, Rink said, although a tractor burned at the site. It's not clear whether the tractor started the landfall fire or was just damaged by it.

The job was complicated by the lack of any hydrant system, Mayor Duval Arthur said.

Berwick volunteers stayed on the job 18 hours, longer than the other departments, Rink said. But the Berwick firefighters eventually did something they hadn't done before -- they left a fire before it was extinguished.

The chief said firefighters left to get prepared for the approach of what seemed likely at the time to be a double hit from hurricanes Marco and Laura. The fire was put out the following day.

Councilman Raymond Price suggested a discussion with the Parish Council to see what can be done to provide firefighters with what they need. Rink said six of the seven departments responding to the fire said they won't come back for another unless something is done.

Also Tuesday, Police Chief David Leonard publicly thanked his officers for the work they did to get ready for the late-August tropical weather, which Berwick escaped with not much more than isolated power outages.

The council:

--Unanimously passed an ordinance renewing the existing $25-per-acre drainage fee. The fee raises about $74,000 a year, Arthur said.

--Approved an amendment to the 2019-20 budget to accommodate spending for items that include drainage work and a new police vehicle, delivery of which has been delayed because of the COVID pandemic, Leonard told the council.

The extra vehicle would have been especially helpful after a police unit was rear-ended Tuesday in the La. 182-Tournament Boulevard area. Leonard said there were no injuries.

--Approved a town budget for 2020-21, more about which will appear soon.

--Amended a sign ordinance to remove some of its antiquated restrictions.

Arthur said the current ordinance technically forbids advertising signs within 500 feet of La. 182, for example.

"If you can imagine putting a sign out in the middle of a field two football fields away and trying to read it as you go down the highway, it's absurd," Arthur said. "The rest of the [changed items] are just as absurd."