Five days later: Fire continues to burn at NA dumpsite

…schools, prison, hospital affected

A fire continues to burn at the New Amsterdam dumpsite five days after it first erupted, posing challenges to residents in the area, persons at the New Amsterdam Prisons, the public hospital, and schools in the area.
Last Monday, flames were seen emanating from the municipal dumpsite situated at Esplanade Road in New Amsterdam. Several sections of the town were shrouded in smoke, and on Wednesday, Mayor Wainwright McIntosh expressed concern that the situation was posing an environmental hazard.
On Friday, this fire continued to burn, causing thick black smoke to envelop the surrounding areas and contaminate the atmosphere.
Firefighters using trench water on Thursday tried for hours to douse the burning dumpsite. A heavy downpour assisted their efforts, but
before midnight, the firefighters were back at the scene, as thick smoke again obscured visibility to road users and created health challenges for residents living nearby.
Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus told this publication that the Police were called upon to provide additional security without and within the vicinity of the New Amsterdam Prison as smoke invaded the correctional facility which houses hundreds of inmates.
Divisional Fire Officer Cortland Harry also said that even the rainfall on Thursday evening did not provide much assistance in containing this fire. He said efforts are nevertheless being made to get the situation back to normalcy.
“The showers that came did not do anything really; so, presently, we are using an open source, and that is helping us a great lot. Right now, we are trying to extinguish the heavy smoke that we are getting, to get it down as much as possible, because that is what is affecting the hospitals, schools and the prison,” Harry added.
Assistance to battle this fire has been coming from the Rose Hall Sugar Estate’s Fire Department, the Region Six Administration, and the Mayor and Town Council, Harry explained.
Harry said that recently, the Fire Department in Berbice, which consists of four stations, has had to respond to about 6 to 10 calls per day. For the year, the Department has had to respond to more than 450 fires in Berbice, many of which in recent times were grass fires.
“We have been trying to let people know that, during this dry period, they should desist from lighting fires in open areas, parapets and such like; but people still continue to do so, (and) there is nothing much we can do about it. When we get a call, we have to respond and do our job,” Harry explained.
Sources close to the Fire Department are of the view that it may take several days before this fire is brought under control. Meanwhile, the dumpsite has been closed since Monday. (G4)