Community members are noticing a hay fire at De Jong Dairy Farm at Broadway and Jackrabbit Trail Roads that has been burning for weeks.
Lori Nelton contacted ABC15 when she couldn't get answers about the persistent fire burning about a mile from her neighborhood.
"Channel 15 news was my first step in reaching out," Nelton said.
The fire continues to burn, and Nelson and others are worried about potential health effects from the smoke and odor that has been lingering in their community.
Nelton and her dog have both experienced health issues she believes could be related to poor air quality from the fire.
"I don't let her go [outside] too much. When she goes out there, I go out there with her and bring her right back in," Nelton said.
The Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD) confirmed they are aware of the fire at De Jong Dairy Farm. An Air Quality Inspector spoke with representatives at the site who explained why they cannot take more aggressive action.
According to MCADQ, the dairy farm reported that the hay is too flammable, and spreading the pile poses a risk of uncontrolled burning. Instead, the facility is monitoring the fire 24/7 with a water truck on-site to prevent the fire from spreading.
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The dairy expects the fire to burn out by Friday, August 22.
"In the morning, you can smell it. In the morning, it's really strong and it just smells like an ashtray, something's burning," Nelton said.
MCAQD has issued a Notice of Non-Compliance to the dairy for burning prohibited material. While the department does not have specific rules for hay fires, they do regulate and enforce the open burning of prohibited materials.
"I'm a little bit frustrated there's not much I can do. I live here. This is our home. I can't leave, but there's got to be something done to contain it," Nelton said. "We knew when we moved here, we were moving near a farm, so it was brought to our attention about the farm smell, cow smell. We knew that wasn't going to bother us, but we didn't anticipate burning smells and everything we've been going through for three weeks now."
County air quality inspectors will continue to monitor the situation daily until the fire is extinguished.
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