Landfill Fire Fully Extinguished WED MAY 27

A small but challenging fire at the George Town Landfill site is now fully extinguished according to the Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) and Department of Environmental Health (DEH).

The site was handed back to DEH last night (Tuesday, 26 May) following extensive work to resolve the fire which was first discovered on Thursday, 21 May.

CIFS crews left the site at 8pm with the duty crew from Central Fire Station making periodic visits until midnight.

Efforts to resolve the deep seated fire involved excavating a large volume of mixed waste. The resulting hole has now been refilled with the now dampened material, compressed to regular levels and will be capped as soon as possible. 

“As is the protocol, colleagues from DEH will continue monitoring the site for any signs of potential combustion, enabling us to take early action. This protocol has proven successful in preventing the most recent incident from escalating further,” said Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker, QFSM.

FURTHER UPDATE- TUE MAY 26 2020

Crews from the Cayman Islands Fire Service and Department of Environmental Health remain at the landfill site today (Tuesday, 26 May) as they work to resolve a small but challenging fire which was first discovered on Thursday, 21 May.

Excavation, turning over and damping down continues to be the strategy to identify and douse a deep seated vein of burning mixed waste.

“Deep seated fires can be challenging to resolve but it’s important to do so thoroughly, however small the fire may be, to ensure it doesn’t have a chance to escalate further. I wish to thank the joint team for their persistent and meticulous efforts to bring this incident to a safe conclusion,” said Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker, QFSM.

A further update from the site will be provided tomorrow morning.

FURTHER UPDATE- MON MAY 25 2020

The Cayman Islands Fire Service and Department of Environmental Health (DEH) continue work to tackle a small but protracted incident today (Monday, 25 May) at the George Town Landfill site.

“This incident illustrates another reason why landfill fires can be challenging to resolve. Thanks to DEH colleagues, an enormous amount of waste material has been excavated to enable our fire officers to douse the deep seated affected area. It is through this time consuming and meticulous work that we’ll be able to bring this incident to a full and safe conclusion. Our focus is always safety first, then speed,” explains Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker, QFSM.

The operational plan for the day continues to be excavating, turning over and damping down.

No smoke or flames are visible at this time. Thermal camera imaging and visible signs of steam from the affected area indicate the incident is ongoing.

A further update from the scene will be provided tomorrow morning. 

FURTHER UPDATE- SUN MAY 24 2020

Work Continues at Landfill for CIFS and DEH

Crews from the Cayman Islands Fire Service and the Department of Environmental Health will continue to work throughout today (Sunday, 24 May) to fully extinguish a deep vein of burning waste material at the George Town Landfill.

A watching brief was maintained overnight. 

“This deep vein of fire is requiring a significant volume of mixed waste to be excavated, turned over and dampened down. Our joint crews are working hard to prevent the chance of re-ignition through their painstaking efforts,” said Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker, QFSM.

Limited smoke from this fire is expected today as excavation and damping down operations continue. No impact on surrounding residents or businesses is expected.

UPDATE – SAT MAY 23 2020:

Crews from the Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) continue work this morning (Saturday, 23 May) at the George Town Landfill site to bring a small but challenging fire to an end.

A deep seated vein of burning waste is causing minimal smoke at the scene with no impact to surrounding residents and businesses.

CIFS along with colleagues from the Department of Environmental Health are expected to continue to excavate and dampen down the affected area throughout the day.

FRI MAY 22 2020: The Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) was mobilized to the George Town Landfill site this morning (Friday, 22 May) at 7.15am.

No flames but some smoke is visible. The smoke is emanating from the same area of the site affected by a small fire this week. The area was seen to be smouldering during morning inspections by the Department of Environmental Health (DEH).

“It is not unusual to have a vein of deep seated fire between compacted layers smoulder and re-emerge. This is precisely why we keep equipment on site in the days after a landfill incident to allow us to quickly deploy. I wish to thank DEH colleagues for their continued close cooperation in dealing with this challenging matter,” said Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker, QFSM.

CIFS and DEH crews will continue work to excavate and dampen down the affected area and bring the incident to a full resolution swiftly.