May 12, 2026 10:05 AM

Smoke And Foul Stench From A Composting Fire In Hinkley Blanketing The Town Of Barstow For Days

HINKLEY, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> Fire at massive composting facility blanketing High Desert with smoke and a foul stench for days.

The Nursery Products Hawes Composting Facility, is permitted to handle 400,000 wet tons of waste sewage and grass clippings per year just west of the town of Hinkley. The fire reportedly started on Saturday May 28, 2022 and has been burning out of control every since.

Smoke and the smell has been blowing around into the Barstow communities for days now and no end in site.

San Bernardino County Fire Battalion Chief Mike McClintock said that the fire could last a week. The compost-facility operators are now leading the handling of the blaze while the fire department monitors the fire-fighting efforts, McClintock said.

“To continually flow high amounts of water is very difficult, and then couple that with the crazy high winds over the 3 day weekend, the suppression efforts were futile,” he said.

At 8pm June 2, 2022 at Riley’s Place on 20737 Old Bakersfield Hwy. Hinkley, CA. 92347 you’re invited to make a statement with a news reporter about the fire contamination and the air quality in the surrounding communities.

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Cajon Pass
10:05 am, May 12, 2026
temperature icon 84°F
clear sky
Humidity: 14 %
Pressure: 1013 mb
Wind: 1 mph
Wind Gust: 5 mph
Clouds: 1%
Visibility: 10 km
Sunrise: 5:49 am
Sunset: 7:42 pm
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