Business owners complaining about trash fire in Johnston

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Businesses in the Des Moines suburb of Johnston are complaining about smoke and ash billowing from a trash pile in the city that’s been burning for more than 10 days. Television station KCCI reports that the fire has been burning a massive pile of construction materials, mulch and trees in front of Tyler Excavating since Aug. 6. Jeff Stephens is owner of Stephen’s Auto Sales, just a few doors down from the fire. He says his lot’s cars are covered in ash every day, requiring his employees to detail the cars repeatedly. The Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire Department is equally unhappy, saying it’s been called out about a dozen times to extinguish fires that continue to erupt in the pile.