Health problems reported from smoky monthlong Indiana fire

WINDFALL, Ind. (AP) - About 20 people reported various health problems from a fire inside a pile of straw and corncobs that blanketed a central Indiana town with heavy smoke for nearly a month.

Residents from the Tipton County town of Windfall who filed complaints with county health officials cited problems that included headaches, nausea, vomiting, nose bleeds and difficulty breathing, the Kokomo Tribune reported.

The smoky blaze that was first reported Dec. 16 on land leased by Simpson Straw burned for nearly a month inside the 30-foot-tall pile before crews were able to pull it apart and extinguish the fire. Officials believe the fire started from natural decomposition inside the pile in the town about 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) north of Indianapolis.

The heavy smoke caused some of the town's roughly 700 residents to leave their homes for a time. Town Clerk-Treasurer Regina Schmitt said all residents have since returned and are trying to return to normal.

Schmitt said the town doesn't plan on taking any legal action against Simpson Straw for the health complaints, but it did send a bill to the business for about 300,000 gallons of treated water used by firefighters to combat the blaze.