A major fire started at the George Town landfill [“dump] early Friday (20) morning. Crews from the Cayman Islands Fire Service are on the site known locally as Mount Trashmore.

We received a report there  was an explosion just before the fire commenced.

The public is advised to avoid the area as the fire there is huge.

We will keep you updated – See below for Ministry Statement on the Landfill Fire

PHOTOS: Chip Ogilvie

Statement on Landfill Fire

From The Ministry of Health, Sports, Youth and Culture

The Ministry of Health, Sports, Youth and Culture and the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) would like to provide an update to the public regarding this morning’s fire at the George Town Landfill.

The fire appeared to start between 3:30 a.m – 4:00 a.m this morning in the north-western corner of the landfill site where the baled metals are stored, and subsequently spread toward the area where the tires are stored.

The Fire Services Unit was promptly notified and DEH staff and Fire crews responded immediately. They quickly created a fire break between the tires that had ignited and those that had not yet been reached by the fire.

The fire has not spread to the main waste disposal areas, but has been contained in the bulk storage areas, and the smoke from the fire has risen and remained at high enough levels to minimize impacts on residents and the harbour, and is being carried off-shore by the prevailing winds.

As a result of the efforts of Fire Services and DEH staff, the fire is currently under control and it is expected that it will be fully extinguished within the next four to five hours. The DEH is investigating the cause of the fire, and apologizes to the public for any inconvenience that may have been caused by the fire. The Ministry will provide further updates later today.