UPDATE: Landfill fire being brought under control

A fire at the Mangrove Landfill in St Thomas is slowly being brought under control.

In an evening update, public relations officer Carl “Alff” Padmore said there are ten trucks bringing top soil, while four excavators and a compactor are working under the direction of senior engineer Leona Deane and superintendent Bruce Cox.

“We were able to cut a road to get to the heart of the fire. We believe strongly that if all goes well, later in the evening, we should have the situation under even more control.”

Padmore said the plume of smoke was not as thick as earlier in the day.

Fire broke out in the northern section of the landfill where tyres are stored early this morning, sending thick black smoke into the atmosphere.

Also on site are teams from the Barbados Fire Service, CO Williams and the Department of Emergency Management, as well as members of the Waste Haulers Association.

Minister of Environment Trevor Prescod and parliamentary representative Cynthia Forde, visited the area. (PR/SAT)