Landfill Fire Update at 4pm on Wednesday, 11 March

CAYMAN ISLANDS (GIS) – Landfill Fire Update at 4pm on Wednesday, 11 March 2020.

Crews from the Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) and Department of Environmental Health (DEH) continue to see success in tackling a fire at the George Town Landfill.

The National Roads Authority has also been on site providing operational vehicle support to accelerate progress made.

A systematic approach of excavation and damping down is helping crews work towards full extinguishment of the fire. Once doused, this is followed by capping the area to minimise the chance of re-ignition.

As hotspots are exposed through excavation, there may be a flare of smoke. Every effort is made by fire officers to reduce this as quickly as possible. Smoke density will vary as crews work through this process, however overall levels have continued to reduce as the area is capped.

Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker QFSM reaffirms that residents of Lakeside, Watlers Road and the immediate vicinity of the landfill site are advised to keep windows, doors and air conditioning vents closed as a precaution.

Once the fire has been fully extinguished, DEH will shift its focus to begin testing air quality in the area at the public’s request. The test measures levels of CO and CO₂ which can be present in the air even after the fire has been extinguished. This test cannot be accurately assessed while smoke is present due to the sensitivity of the equipment.

The next operational meeting is scheduled for 8am tomorrow, with an update provided to the public shortly thereafter.

CAYMAN ISLANDS (GIS) – Landfill Fire Update at 8am on Wednesday, 11 March 2020.

Crews from the Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) and the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) have made good progress overnight at the scene of a fire at the George Town Landfill.

The situation remains dynamic with varying smoke density at the site as crews continue to excavate, dampen down and cap affected areas.

Earlier this morning, Wednesday, 11 March 2020, waste located close to the landfill boundary flared up during excavation of the site. The decision was quickly made to close one lane of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway (ETH) to allow fire trucks to be strategically deployed and the area to be doused.

Crews were able to contain the flare up and reduce the smoke density for motorists’ safety quickly. As at 9am this morning, both lanes of the ETH are open and will remain open as long as it is safe for motorists.

Commenting from the scene, Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker QFSM said: “I am extremely proud of the work CIFS and DEH crews have done over the past few days under some very challenging conditions. Everyone at the scene is very grateful for the community’s support to date and ask for their continued patience as we work to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible.”

Given the progress made on site, fewer strategic operation meetings will be required from now onwards. The next meeting is scheduled for 4pm today, with an update to the public released shortly thereafter.