A dense column of black smoke rose from the Anguilla Landfill on St. Croix late Thursday afternoon and scudded low across the sky, dimming the setting sun, as a fire burned in the landfill’s scrap metal area.
The fire started around 4 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release from the V.I. Waste Management Authority. The fire erupted when a hydraulic line on the scrap-metal baling machine ruptured. The flames spread to the scrap metal in the area of the baler. The scrap metal area, which is operated by VI Recycling, is on the peninsula to the southeast of the landfill.
The VIWMA landfill management contractor, A9 Enterprises, isolated the scrap metal area, cutting a path to separate the burning area from the remainder of the scrap metal piles. The contractor brought fill from the landfill area to create a berm between the scrap metal piles to contain the fire and smother the flames, according to VIWMA’s statement.
The V.I. Fire Department responded to the blaze and firefighters were trying to extinguish the fire Thursday evening. Additional units were dispatched to the site and, as of 8 p.m. Thursday, were working to bring the situation under control.
