PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Florida Panhandle officials have gone to court to close a landfill that has been burning for more than a week.

Bay County officials are monitoring the blaze to make sure it does not threaten nearby homes or grow into a wildfire.

The county's chief of emergency services says firefighters are reluctant to dampen the fire with water because the run-off would pose an environmental hazard.

The county says it doesn't have the authority to bury the landfill to stamp out the flames. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is supposed to be closing the landfill and covering it with dirt, but the owner's death has complicated the process.

DEP officials have filed a motion in Panama City court to gain access to the landfill. A hearing date has not been set.

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Information from: The News Herald, http://www.newsherald.com

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