Bahamas News
01-14-05, - 11:46 PM
City Dump Blaze Threatens Neighbourhoods
Royanne Forbes and Stephen Gay
The Bahama Journal
http://www.jonesbahamas.com/data/images/news/categories/dump-fire-1.jpg
An explosion at the city dump sometime on Wednesday evening triggered a blaze at the site, which quickly spread to nearby communities. (Photo by Omar Barr)
An explosion caused by the presence of propane gas canisters at the construction and demolition area of the city dump off Harrold Road triggered a blaze on Wednesday night, which had authorities battling throughout the day on Thursday to contain it.
By late afternoon, the blaze had moved west toward Gladstone Road in the vicinity of Moss Gas, creating concerns that a more serious situation was about to unfold.
Chief Fire Officer Walter Evans said wind also blew sparks from the fire across Gladstone Road into the pine forest area igniting another blaze.
The fire also moved dangerously close to the nearby Jubilee Gardens Subdivision.
Many onlookers stopped as firefighters raced to bring the fire under control amid thick smoke, and a darkening sky.
Across from the propane gas company, several bulldozers cleared the area, knocking down dry trees to prevent the fire from spreading even further.
“The fire has jumped and we are focusing on extinguishing this fire,” Mr. Evans said around 5pm. “At this stage, the fire is pretty much under control. However, our concentration is that of ensuring that the flames do not rise. Once the flames begin to rise, the necessary suppression efforts will be implemented.”
Authorities had also planned to close off Gladstone Road.
Mr. Evans also expressed concerns about the fire being close to houses, but assured that authorities had worked to contain the blaze.
Earlier in the day, Terrance Godet, site manager at the dump, told the Bahama Journal that the underground fire spread quickly, causing thick, black smoke to travel to nearby communities.
Mr. Godet explained that under the present arrangements, it is virtually impossible to prevent such occurrences at the site.
“What happens is we know it is going to happen so we try to prepare ahead for it,” he said.
“Because of the combustion from underground and all the gases that are let off by different materials, there is a gaseous exchange that happens and because of the heat that comes naturally from underground it causes the garbage to ignite.”
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health Ron Pinder joined other authorities at the site for much of the afternoon on Thursday.
When asked what officials will do to help prevent such fires in the future, Mr. Pinder said, “Clearly, the way forward for the future is for us to make a decision to bring in the necessary pieces of equipment to reduce the construction and demolition debris out there at the Harrold Road disposal site.”
He too pointed to the role the winds played in spreading the fire.
“Once that happened we immediately dispatched about four or five pieces of equipment,” Mr. Pinder added.
Authorities then created what is known as a firebreak wall, using a piece of heavy-duty equipment to clear a space between the burning debris and non-burning debris to contain the fire.
Firefighters from the Royal Bahamas Police Force also assisted in the effort to contain the fire.
The long-term solution to the problem, according to Mr. Pinder, is to proceed with reducing the amount of rubble and refuse that is at the site.
“The debris needs to be recycled and we need to minimize the amount of wood by mulching it as well as sort through the materials to remove flammable materials,” he said.
The plan is to mulch what can be mulched as opposed to the present practice of stockpiling, he told the Bahama Journal.
“We have one proposal in hand; another proposal is on the way,” Mr. Pinder informed.
He estimated that the new system of disposal would cause up to $7 million, but did not give a timetable for when the recycling and mulching is expected to start.
As he was discussing plans to address the problem, some residents in surrounding communities were expressing frustration and outrage over the situation.
Mr. Godet said that those residents have reason to be concerned.
“They should be concerned because there is smoke and quite naturally smoke can cause other conditions,” he said.
Mr. Godet added, “We are hoping that the residents will bear with us and hopefully at the end of the day we will be able to have [the situation under control]…I think that people should live a mile or two away from the city dump.
“When you think about it, the dump was here first and people just sort of moved in around the dump. But the problem stems from the government allowing persons to build around the dump. I think they should not allow persons to build that close to the dump. But that is only my opinion.”
One resident, Roscoe Minnis, said, “[The fire at the dump] is a pretty bad or poor thing to happen in a neighbourhood where a lot of people reside.I think that there should be a great concern into looking into the matter.”
Ethan Moss, owner of Texaco Gas Station on Faith Avenue added, “I hope they have it under control because it will cause concerns.”
Tenaj Jones, who lives near the dump, said, “I just saw the fumes from the fire like red smoke when I was passing across the highway when I got off [Wednesday] night.I don’t feel good about something like this happening so close to my neigbourhood because we are already suffering from the stench from the garbage and we have been having that problem for years and people need to look into it.”
Royanne Forbes and Stephen Gay
The Bahama Journal
http://www.jonesbahamas.com/data/images/news/categories/dump-fire-1.jpg
An explosion at the city dump sometime on Wednesday evening triggered a blaze at the site, which quickly spread to nearby communities. (Photo by Omar Barr)
An explosion caused by the presence of propane gas canisters at the construction and demolition area of the city dump off Harrold Road triggered a blaze on Wednesday night, which had authorities battling throughout the day on Thursday to contain it.
By late afternoon, the blaze had moved west toward Gladstone Road in the vicinity of Moss Gas, creating concerns that a more serious situation was about to unfold.
Chief Fire Officer Walter Evans said wind also blew sparks from the fire across Gladstone Road into the pine forest area igniting another blaze.
The fire also moved dangerously close to the nearby Jubilee Gardens Subdivision.
Many onlookers stopped as firefighters raced to bring the fire under control amid thick smoke, and a darkening sky.
Across from the propane gas company, several bulldozers cleared the area, knocking down dry trees to prevent the fire from spreading even further.
“The fire has jumped and we are focusing on extinguishing this fire,” Mr. Evans said around 5pm. “At this stage, the fire is pretty much under control. However, our concentration is that of ensuring that the flames do not rise. Once the flames begin to rise, the necessary suppression efforts will be implemented.”
Authorities had also planned to close off Gladstone Road.
Mr. Evans also expressed concerns about the fire being close to houses, but assured that authorities had worked to contain the blaze.
Earlier in the day, Terrance Godet, site manager at the dump, told the Bahama Journal that the underground fire spread quickly, causing thick, black smoke to travel to nearby communities.
Mr. Godet explained that under the present arrangements, it is virtually impossible to prevent such occurrences at the site.
“What happens is we know it is going to happen so we try to prepare ahead for it,” he said.
“Because of the combustion from underground and all the gases that are let off by different materials, there is a gaseous exchange that happens and because of the heat that comes naturally from underground it causes the garbage to ignite.”
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health Ron Pinder joined other authorities at the site for much of the afternoon on Thursday.
When asked what officials will do to help prevent such fires in the future, Mr. Pinder said, “Clearly, the way forward for the future is for us to make a decision to bring in the necessary pieces of equipment to reduce the construction and demolition debris out there at the Harrold Road disposal site.”
He too pointed to the role the winds played in spreading the fire.
“Once that happened we immediately dispatched about four or five pieces of equipment,” Mr. Pinder added.
Authorities then created what is known as a firebreak wall, using a piece of heavy-duty equipment to clear a space between the burning debris and non-burning debris to contain the fire.
Firefighters from the Royal Bahamas Police Force also assisted in the effort to contain the fire.
The long-term solution to the problem, according to Mr. Pinder, is to proceed with reducing the amount of rubble and refuse that is at the site.
“The debris needs to be recycled and we need to minimize the amount of wood by mulching it as well as sort through the materials to remove flammable materials,” he said.
The plan is to mulch what can be mulched as opposed to the present practice of stockpiling, he told the Bahama Journal.
“We have one proposal in hand; another proposal is on the way,” Mr. Pinder informed.
He estimated that the new system of disposal would cause up to $7 million, but did not give a timetable for when the recycling and mulching is expected to start.
As he was discussing plans to address the problem, some residents in surrounding communities were expressing frustration and outrage over the situation.
Mr. Godet said that those residents have reason to be concerned.
“They should be concerned because there is smoke and quite naturally smoke can cause other conditions,” he said.
Mr. Godet added, “We are hoping that the residents will bear with us and hopefully at the end of the day we will be able to have [the situation under control]…I think that people should live a mile or two away from the city dump.
“When you think about it, the dump was here first and people just sort of moved in around the dump. But the problem stems from the government allowing persons to build around the dump. I think they should not allow persons to build that close to the dump. But that is only my opinion.”
One resident, Roscoe Minnis, said, “[The fire at the dump] is a pretty bad or poor thing to happen in a neighbourhood where a lot of people reside.I think that there should be a great concern into looking into the matter.”
Ethan Moss, owner of Texaco Gas Station on Faith Avenue added, “I hope they have it under control because it will cause concerns.”
Tenaj Jones, who lives near the dump, said, “I just saw the fumes from the fire like red smoke when I was passing across the highway when I got off [Wednesday] night.I don’t feel good about something like this happening so close to my neigbourhood because we are already suffering from the stench from the garbage and we have been having that problem for years and people need to look into it.”