There has been a great degree of conversation regarding the enormous fire that erupted from the Corito Landfill Site on Saturday afternoon, July 25th. Investigations are ongoing in an effort to determine the exact cause of the fire, but The Anguillian sat down with Acting Fire Chief, Carlisle Lake, as he led us through what transpired during the challenging inferno.
“At about 5:30 last Saturday afternoon, the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Services received a call reporting that a fire had started at the Corito Dump Site,” Mr. Lake stated. “From the airport, it was obvious that there was a fire out there. We rushed to the scene and discovered that a collection of tires was ablaze and the fire was quickly spreading.
“In our station at the airport, we have three fire tenders, but we could use only one for attacking the Corito flames, because the airport was still operational and busy at the time.
“We therefore could not deploy all three tenders, but had to reserve the other two for the airport as protocol dictates. So, immediately we contacted as many local water companies as we can, and a large fleet of water trucks rushed to the dump site to assist us.
“It was determined that we also had a need for heavy equipment such as bulldozers and other excavating machines. So we alerted many of our local heavy equipment operators who spared no time in coming to our aid – without delay.
“While the water trucks sprayed the fire to reduce the blaze, the heavy equipment got busy cutting tracks and trenches around the parameter of the tire stack in order to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other areas. Our main aim was to limit the fire spread.
“By about 7:30 p.m. when the airport had closed for the night, we were able to utilize the other two fire tenders. They rushed in to play their part in the fight and we were able to smother the blaze and get the fire under more substantial control.
“We worked tirelessly throughout the night,” Mr. Lake said. “During the night, the fire had drifted to a large spot where metal items were dumped, so we had to strive to control the blaze in both the tires area and the metals area.
“In spite of the strenuous task, it was quite encouraging and uplifting to see how the local water trucks, the heavy equipment machinery, our tenders and other folks from the community all worked in unison as a team towards getting the fire subsided. It was also encouraging to see how members of the public controlled themselves from getting too close, as curious onlookers had come to witness the ordeal.
“By about 3:00 on Sunday morning, we were satisfied that we had gained the upper hand on the blaze, and by now the tires were only smoldering. However, the fire had emitted a high volume of smoke. The wind was blowing from the northeast to the south west, so areas like Little Harbour and the southern portion of Long Ground suffered the brunt of the smoke plumes.
When asked whether the Fire Department received any calls of complaint from residents in the downwind area, Mr. Lake said. “We received a few calls, yes, but we were not waiting for calls, really. On Monday morning, early, a team of us fire fighters and the Honourable Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Jose Vanterpool, went out to canvass the affected districts. We met the residents at their homes and made extensive welfare checks.
“We advised those residents as to the measures that they should take should their breathing becomes impaired, and we assured them that they can inform us at anytime should any related issues arise.”
Recently, the island and the region on a whole have been experiencing very high daytime temperatures. In speaking about the massive blaze, many people in the public were speculating the cause could well be due to the sun’s searing heat. Whatever the cause, Mr. Lake affirms that it has been by far the most intense fire they have ever fought.
Asked what in his opinion can be done about all that waste material at Corito, Mr. Lake opined that perhaps the tires and metal items should be exported for shredding and recycled into useful products to carried on commercial markets.
As of the mid-week stage, four days after the fire began, the residue is smoldering with only light smoke. The entire area that was affected is being spread with a thick layer of maul and is being compressed. The situation is completely fire-free and under control.
Not long ago, waste experts from the island of Guadeloupe visited the Landfill Site and held high level talks with the Minister of Natural Resources about utilizing the waste material to create useful by-products.
Part Two of this story will be in the next edition of the paper and will address measures being taken to alleviate the issue of waste disposal on the island.
