BATON ROUGE - State environmental regulators have ordered Harrelson Materials Management Inc. to extinguish fires at its Shreveport landfill and ultimately close the landfill.

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Peggy Hatch signed the order Thursday and approved a fire mitigation plan that focuses on extinguishing fires that have plagued the area for years.

DEQ estimates the fire mitigation plan should be completed in about six months.

Closure may take several months to complete.

Under DEQ's plan, the landfill will be disassembled, the subterranean fires extinguished and the waste returned to the landfill and covered with soil in compliance with state regulations.

The landfill has been the subject of a series of public meetings over the past few months. State Sen. Greg Tarver says the closure order is in the neighborhood's best interest.