SAN ANTONIO -- Emotions ran high at a Helotes town hall meeting Monday night after residents listened to a new plan to stop a mulch fire that has burned since Christmas Day.

Fire experts plan to pull apart what's left of the smoldering pile and soak it in two feet of water-resistant clay pits.

TCEQ official Kelly Cook said the plan is better for the environment than the old plan that caused water contamination in private wells.

"Basically, the material is going to be inside a protected area," Cook said. "Water will not leave this area."

Cook said the downside of the plan is the smoke could get worse before it gets better and the $1.7 million price tag has nearly doubled to about $3 million thanks to the delay of the project.

According to the new plan, the fire will be out by the end of the month.

Residents listened attentively for 30 minutes to the new plan, but the silence ended when the floor opened up for questions.

"Money, money, money is being consumed when the fire should be consumed," a resident said.

Many residents asked, "What is burning in that big fire?" and, "What are the long-term health effects?"

TCEQ officials said they are working to get the answers.

"They're bringing those reports together now, so it's taken six weeks to collect the data," an official said.