A fire at a waste-to-energy plant in Doral, Fla., continued to burn as officials announced school closures, closed parks and urged residents to stay indoors, multiple outlets reported. sale
“Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel are working tirelessly to extinguish the fire,” Doral Mayor Christi Fraga said in a statement Friday.
“At 5am this morning we temporarily suspended fire operations to allow for the partial demolition of the east wall. [of the Covanta facility,]” Fire Chief Raied “Ray” Jadallah said at the press conference.
Fire operations resumed at 1 p.m., Jadallah also said. The fire chief added that the temporary suspension of firefighting activities, along with unfavorable weather conditions and heavy machinery used to demolish the east wall, led to an increase in smoke.
“Out of an abundance of caution…we recommend that all residents [in the immediate area] stay home today,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a multi-agency news conference Friday. Levine Cava emphasized that people with respiratory conditions, older adults, young children and expectant mothers should be especially cautious.
“EPA has been collecting air samples for the past several days and monitoring the air with a live data source,” said the US Environmental Protection Agency’s on-scene coordinator , Matthew Huyser, at Friday’s press conference.
“Starting [Friday] morning, EPA air monitors noted that a higher concentration of particulate matter was measured at the north fence line,” Huyser also said.
“The key message for the community in terms of keeping people safe and keeping people safe is to avoid smoke whenever possible,” Jackson Memorial Hospital Chief Medical Officer Hany Atallah said during the conference.
Atallah recommended that people in the area stay indoors, with windows closed, while running an air conditioner. He also recommended changing your home’s air filter if it starts to look dark and wearing a high-quality mask if going outdoors is unavoidable.
Numerous state and federal agencies have partnered to deal with the long-running fire, officials said.
“We face significant challenges,” Chief Jadallah said. “We continue to move quickly and are making some significant progress,” he added.
The Doral trash incinerator fire broke out Sunday, Feb. 12, according to county officials. Miami-Dade Fire and Miami-Dade Police responded immediately and no injuries were reported to personnel at the scene. Investigators believe the fire was initially caused by a conveyor belt, according to Local 10.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which monitors air quality as the fire burns, recommended that nearby residents stay indoors. Also, Miami-Dade County officials announced Friday that two schools were holding layoffs and two parks would close.
The 40-year-old Covanta Energy plant burns more than 800,000 tons of trash annually and handles about 40 percent of Miami-Dade County’s trash, CBS News reported.
Doral is a city of about 75,000 people approximately five miles west of Miami International Airport near the Florida Everglades.
SPECIAL REPORT: Covanta press conference 2/17/23youtu.be
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