Grand Cayman, 06 December 2021 (GIS)– Fire crews and equipment remain on site at the George Town Landfill, after extinguishing a fire early this morning.

            The Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) was dispatched to the scene at 10.20 p.m. shortly before 10.30p.m. (Sunday, 5 December), and, worked alongside the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) to extinguish the fire at 12.53 a.m. today. 

            Fire crews from West Bay were the first to arrive at the landfill at 10.40 p.m. as the Central Fire Station team was already deployed at the scene of a fatal traffic accident in Red Bay. After arranging for the Frank Sound Fire Station to stand by at Spotts Dock for coverage of the entire island, the Red Bay scene crew was attached to an alarm call at 11.08 p.m. at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC). Once the CIFEC matter was resolved the team headed to the George Town Landfill.

            The fire, which was about 100 yards in diameter, occurred in the area of the landfill where new rubbish is located. It is believed to have been caused by flammable waste being mixed in with other recently arrived waste. CIFS and DEH officials remind the public to follow proper disposal measures for flammable materials, such as batteries, as outlined on the DEH website (www.deh.gov.ky).

            The area affected by last night’s fire is different from the location that CIFS and DEH were monitoring hotspots early last week, a fire service spokesman confirms. That situation was determined to be resolved and CIFS had withdrawn their equipment before last night’s incident.

            The Fire Service will decide following a review of the situation at 6pm this evening, whether to leave vehicles and a team at the landfill overnight.