Crews with the City of Knoxville's Public Service Department have hauled 1,900 tons of debris away from Shamrock Organic as firefighters work to extinguish the last flames of a mulch fire.

City crews began hauling debris Thursday and will likely wrap up their operations midweek. Material on site not affected by the fire was taken to the Poplar View landfill off Rutledge Pike, which gave extra space for firefighters to concentrate on burning piles.

"Public Service has been glad to assist the Fire Department with removing yard waste from the site in order to improve firefighter access so they can do their job of fully extinguishing the fire," said David Brace, Director of Public Service. "Although we are often behind the scenes, Public Works is an integral part to any community's emergency operations plan."

City resources have been used throughout last week's fire, which will result in normal brush collection schedules being suspended this week. Residents should place yard waste out for collection, but it might be two to three weeks before it can be collected. Managers in the field are tracking needs and routing resources as needed.

As of now, four firefighters - reduced from 30 - remain on scene to monitor conditions and are spraying water only when necessary. According to Fire Capt. D.J. Corcoran, some fire hoses used during the mulch fire will undergo cleanup and testing before returning to regular service. Once the site is considered safe, firefighters will release the property back to its owner.

Mayor Madeline Rogero has called for a complete review of the mulch fire to determine what happened.