HELOTES, Tx -- The owner of some property in Helotes where a huge mulch pile has been burning since Christmas Day said Wednesday night that he will hire a crew to extinguish the blaze, KSAT 12 News reported.

The property owner said that the crew will put out the fire in the next 45 days, KSAT 12 News reported.

The announcement came hours after city of Helotes and Bexar County officials met on to discuss possible solutions.

The giant mulch pile fire at H.L. Zumwalt Construction Inc. could take up to one year to burn out if left alone, experts said.

Helotes Mayor Jon Allan asked county officials to round up their resources and put the fire out.

"We need to quit screwing around with people saying, 'Well, I'm not sure if the health effects are bad enough,'" Allan said. "When I hear the county say we need more data. No -- we don't need more data. You go to talk to the residents. We don't need more data."

But county officials said data needs to be reviewed to prove if the fire is a health hazard.

Sharon McGlothing, whose child attends Helotes Elementary, said that she is concerned about the health and safety of her child.

"Once again, our concern is for our kids," McGlothing said. "They can't go out for recess, and we want them to be able to go out and play."

Jeannine Kearns of Helotes Elementary said that plans are in place in the event an air quality health alert day is announced.

Allan said the facility was issued a permit by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to store the mulch and it's the agency's responsibility to fix the problem.

"(TCEQ) dropped the ball. They allowed that pile to get that big," Allan said. "It's the property owners' responsibility and the state of Texas' responsibility (to take action)."

TCEQ official Richard Garcia said the commission's goal is to try to get all parties involved to sit down and find the best solution.