It took nearly 300,000 gallons of water to extinguish a fire at the Lycoming County landfill late Saturday afternoon.
That was the report Monday from Jason Yorks, director of resource management services.
The fire discovered about 4:30 p.m. burned an approximate 200-by-400-foot area on the face of the landfill, which is where the garbage is dumped. Dark black smoke could be seen for miles.
Firefighters from 14 volunteers companies in three counties along with about 20 landfill employees using heavy equipment battled the blaze for about three hours.
A tanker shuttle from hydrants provided the 3,500 gallons of water that were put on the blaze each minute in a master stream operation using an aerial truck.
The fire destroyed tarps covering the garbage so 2 feet of earth was used to cover the fire area, Yorks said.