South Whidbey Fire/EMS and Island County officials say heavy smoke in the Freeland area Thursday may have been caused by a spontaneous ignition of a wood chip pile at Andrew’s Landshapers.

Chief Rusty Palmer said the fire district responded to a smoldering pile of wood chips at around 5:30 p.m. Palmer said that to his understanding, the fire was a spontaneous ignition, and that there was nothing to be done at the scene. Smoke could be seen in the area until at least 9:30 p.m.

“It’s a smoldering pile and not a real fire hazard and not really burning,” Palmer said. “It’s a smoke problem.”

Keith Higman, Island County health services director, said that it’s not uncommon for piles of decomposing material to ignite.

“Piles of decomposing material heat up pretty significantly in the center of the pile,” Higman said.