Some residents in Flagler County are dealing with smoky backyards, still feeling the impact of a mulch fire that broke out in November 2022.County and state officials were up against a massive fire that started on Nov. 26, 2022, at 295 County Road 200 in Bunnell near Favoretta. The property belongs to Arrow Materials & Excavating, a company that collects brush to convert into mulch.Officials say a day after the fire broke out, there was a re-flare that produced 30-foot flames and smoke."We saw the flames from our front porch and we literally thought we were packing up and running," resident Rob Rodriguez said. At the time, residents were warned it could burn for days, but blowing smoke still fills the air in January. Officials say when the fire first started, about four and a half acres were in flames, but as of Sunday, about a quarter of an acre is still burning. "Every day, depending on what way the wind's blowing, one neighbor is getting worse than the other," resident Carrie Harkins said. "It burns your eyes, it fills up your house, and not to mention, you're thinking about all your animals that are outside because we're an agriculture here.""We would have the windows open and wake up in the middle of the night thinking our house is on fire because it's filled with smoke," Rodriguez said. "You can't breathe, you can’t sleep.""This is the country out here. We have a lot of sandhill cranes protected. I have bald eagles flying over my house protected. They're not going to be able to stay here," a resident named Leo said. One couple showed WESH 2 how the smoky air impacts their home. "We have to wipe our tables every day. You can see in our pool it would fill up with soot – like oily soot," resident Jodi Roos said. "This is the most beautiful time in Florida, and we can't even sit outside half the time.""You're coughing in the morning when you get up. It's unbearable," resident Joe Roos said. WESH 2 reached out to the owner of Arrow Materials & Excavating but has not heard back yet."One thing about mulch fires is that they're notorious for spontaneously combusting. It's just part of the natural process," Flagler County Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Michael Tucker said. "These facilities typically have them set up in a manner that when a fire starts, they can break piles apart fast. In this situation, it just got ahead of the property owner."Tucker said the burning is close to an end, but the cooler temperatures cause a lot more smoke. When asked about a timeline on when things will clear up, Tucker said, "This week, we will be embarking upon a new plan to try to finish up that pile off and to get some more water in there, and it's going to be a very tedious process for us to do that, but hopefully, the homeowners in the area will begin to see a change soon."Tucker said there were a lot of materials on the property, which can fuel a fire.Records show in 2020, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a consent of order to the company for a reason similar to it. In a statement sent to WESH 2, a spokesperson for Florida Forest Service said: "We continue to work closely with our response partners, Flagler County Fire/Rescue, as well as the property owner where the fire is located. This mulch fire, which started at acre, is now about 1/3 of an acre. The property owner has been dismantling the large pile to create smaller, less dense piles that will be easier to extinguish but, at the same time, doing so creates smoke in the area. We are providing guidance to Flagler County as well as the property owner that will continue to work together to extinguish this fire. We will have our equipment out there starting tomorrow alongside Flagler County Fire/Rescue and the property owner. We have communicated regularly with the surrounding communities and have been out to the site quite regularly to check the status and communicate those updates to the communities near and around the fire."In a statement sent to WESH 2, a spokesperson for Florida Department of Environmental Protection said: "Recently, DEP spoke with the Florida Forestry Service and nearby residents about the vegetative fire that began at Arrow Materials and Excavating, Inc. DEP is committed to working with local officials as they work to extinguish the vegetative debris fire.For context, Arrow Materials and Excavating, Inc. is a solid waste facility that accepts and processes clean yard waste. This facility has been operating under a Consent Order since December 2020, which requires the facility to process and remove the excess material that is onsite within three years. While the facility has paid the associated penalties and has documented the amount of yard trash onsite, the department has not received other required items in the order, including obtaining proper authorization for operating a yard trash recycling facility. In addition to this existing enforcement matter, the department is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire for compliance with all applicable environmental regulations. The department will investigate all regulatory requirements and take enforcement action, as necessary, to protect the environment and the health and safety of the community.Our staff have been conducting weekly site visits and on Jan. 26, 2023, the department issued a Demand Letter to the facility for them to come into compliance with the original terms of the Consent Order. This Demand Letter states the order’s requirements were not met and demands penalties in the amount of $39,350. Additionally, the department continues to investigate other potential violations including open burning at the site, which may result in additional enforcement actions. DEP's investigation into this matter is active and ongoing; however, this is the best available information at this time. We are happy to share updates as we progress through our enforcement process."WESH 2 is waiting to hear back from Arrow Materials and Excavating.