'It's a bloody mess': Cape Coral residents upset about Hurricane Ian debris burning site

A Cape Coral debris site is causing anguish to nearby residents as the city burns piles of vegetative debris left by Hurricane Ian.

The site is located near Burnt Store Road and Diplomat Parkway West on land owned by the city and surrounded by a residential neighborhood.

Residents like Kim Jones and his neighbor Tom Howard are just two of the dozens of people who have to live near the site, a constant reminder of the impact Ian left on the city.

"It's a bloody mess," said Jones. "There's more coming every day. I mean, there's truck after truck after truck that is picking this up."

"We'd kind of like to know when we might get our lives back again," Howard said.

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The city's debris contractor Ceres Environmental began burning debris using an air curtain incinerator on the city's behalf on Nov. 4.

Air curtain incinerators are devices that burn wood waste that also control air emissions during burning.

Kaitlyn Pearson, the city's senior public information specialist, said in an email that the city estimates the burning will be completed by the end of December.

Jones said his neighborhood has weathered hurricanes like Charley and seen this site used before, but that the city was mulching the debris previously.

He said he's not happy with the burning of debris as opposed to the mulching, and worries about potential fires spreading to his home.

"It's a safety hazard," Jones said.

That worry is only amplified as he said he's witnessed strong winds.

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As for Howard, he wishes the city had considered using a site in a less residential area.

"It's a sad situation. I'm sure other places are less residential that they could have used," Howard said.

Howard said the site is an inconvenience for him as he has to deal with the constant noise of the machines, some burning at night, and the smoke.

"I was able to smell the smoke all the way down at Lowe's on Del Prado from here," Howard said.

Pearson said that the burning as opposed to mulching was done to remove the debris safely and efficiently.

"There is approximately 7 years (worth) of horticulture debris left from Hurricane Ian, and the air curtain incinerator is being used to reduce and remove that debris efficiently and safely," Pearson said.

The incinerator has disposed of up to 10,000 cubic yards per day and is the only debris site where debris is burned.

Debris crews have removed 30,437 truckloads from Cape Coral streets, totaling 1,456,594 cubic yards.

Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian debris burning causes headache for Cape Coral residents