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Fire at Kamloops landfill extinguished Sunday

It had been burning since Saturday morning
KamloopsDUmpFire
Black smoke billows from the Kamloops garbage dump.

A fire at Kamloops's Mission Flats Landfill has been put out, according to the city's fire department.

Ken Hartt, acting platoon captain for Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR), told Castanet Kamloops firefighters extinguished the blaze around 6:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, and all crews have now left the scene.

Emergency crews were called to the dump just before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday for a fire in a metal pile. A column of black smoke was billowing over parts of Kamloops, and KFR told those in the area to stay indoors and avoid breathing in the potentially toxic fumes.

Hartt said at this time, there is no air quality concern.

“Everything is cleared out now, the fire is completely out as far as we know,” Hartt said. “We’ll keep an eye on it in case the landfill personnel see any signs of smoke.”

According to Hartt, no cause has been officially determined, as the fire prevention division has yet to visit the scene and begin their investigation.

Hartt said personnel worked in shifts to fight the landfill blaze for nearly 24 hours. He said it was a challenging fire to tackle because there was no water supply nearby.

Water had to be shuttled in 3,000-gallon tenders, which were filled up at a hydrant, driven up to the fire, and dumped in a bladder so the crews could use it.

“In that sense, it’s a long day, and a long night of shuttling water,” he said.

In a tweet, the City of Kamloops said after being closed to the public yesterday, the Mission Flats Landfill has reopened this morning for regular operating hours.