NATIONAL Fire Authority (NFA) officers continue to battle an ongoing fire at the Vunato landfill site in Lautoka where dense smoke become an operational challenge, says Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane.
The National Fire Authority assisted the Lautoka City Council yesterday, but emergency crews face persistent hurdles at the site.
Mr Sowane said heavy smoke had made it difficult to pinpoint where the underground pockets of fire were igniting.
“The fire has escalated and is hard to control because it is hard to identify the fire origin due to heavy smoke,” he said.
Mr Sowane said dump fires presented unique difficulties because of trapped methane gas, which acted as a continuous fuel source.
“The only solution is to keep flattening and stamping the surface to seal off oxygen from entering the buildup space, which already has heat and fuel,the only element missing to start a combustion is oxygen.”
“According to our firefighters, it is quite visible the presence of public members believed to be scavengers loitering in the area.”
Mr Sowane said some individuals may had been burning copper wire in the dump, though official clarification remained pending from the council.
