WEST RICHLAND -- We told you last week about a woman running an illegal dump in West Richland.

Days after our investigation, Benton County enforcement agencies told Action News they're taking action on the owner.

Property owner Joanne Ryan doesn't have the proper permits.

But on Monday, Action News revealed that the problem extends way beyond the paperwork.

Fire crews said the heaps of debris are also a major fire hazard, creating a huge fire risk for families living in West Richland.

"If this thing catches on fire now, we're in big trouble," Benton County Fire District 4 Chief Mike Spring said. "It's so huge, there's no way we could extinguish it."

Benton Co. Fire Dist. 4 can tell you just how hard it is to put out a fire here.

They fought one a couple years ago at Ryan's property.

It took crews three days, a bulldozer, and millions of gallons of water to put it out.

Back then, the piles were 50 feet long, 20 feet wide and two stories high.

Now, it's even more dangerous.

"The problem we're facing now is, the piles, in my estimation, are 100 times bigger than it originally was," Chief Spring said.

"Two years ago there was a fire and I'm concerned about my children," neighbor Cara Rush said.

Rush lives across the street from the dump.

If another fire is as big as the chief said it is, there's no doubt it would threaten her home and her family.

"It kind of worries me that, if the fire lasted five days two years ago, how long could it last this time?" Rush said.

So, is this compost heap a ticking time bomb? The Chief said yes.

It's a ticking time bomb because piles of debris, like in Ryan's yard, can spontaneously combust.

"I'm, kind of hoping that something's done because we just moved in and I don't want to take the chance of losing everything," Rush said.

But Ryan claims she's doing nothing wrong.

She didn't want to go on camera, but she told us by phone, that what she's doing is not illegal.

Ryan said she owns a private farm, and uses debris for composting to go green.

She also said, she didn't know she had to have permits to let landscapers dump their debris on her farm.

But she does have to have permits.

Three agencies confirmed that, including the the Benton County Clean Air Authority, Benton County Health District and Benton County Code Enforcement.

And all three of these agencies forced her to clean up her yard when that fire tore through her yard in 2006.

At that time, firefighters came up with what they called an extinguishment plan, and Clean Air Authority fined her nearly $6,000.

Now, two years later, the piles are still there and even bigger.

But Ryan still doesn't have the permits.

Ryan also said she's gone to court, has been investigated, and was cleared of any wrong doing.

But we think it's important to tell you, Ryan does have a court hearing this Friday for Benton County charges against her concerning the dump.