After monitoring the George Town Landfill through the night, the Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) confirms that yesterday’s fire there remains successfully extinguished.
Accordingly the Department of Environmental Health advises that the landfill and the public drop-off point are now open.
With the public’s safety in mind, several fire officers stayed overnight at the landfill to observe the scene and ensure no re-ignition occurred. Fire officers stayed on location all morning cooling down any possible hotspots.
Chief Fire Officer David Hails said the CIFS used three ground monitors to continuously spray large amounts of water on the area.
Around 11 a.m. today (22 February 2018) the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service’s (RCIPS) helicopter was deployed and used its thermal imaging equipment to further assess the area.
The RCIPS then sent thermal aerial photos to the CIFS, who determined that there were no active hot spots at this time.
At about 11.15 a.m. the landfill reopened to the public.
Chief Hails added that fire crews will continue to stay in position, with ground monitors in place for the next 24hours.
The RCIPS helicopter will be deployed around 8 p.m. to once again assess the scene.
“On behalf of the Government I would like to sincerely thank the dedicated and hardworking fire officers, both the on duty as well as off duty officers, and the RCIPS who responded to the call. We are grateful for their swift action and persistent monitoring of the situation,” Minister for Home Affairs, Hon. Tara Rivers said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.