IQALUIT - A fire at the city’s landfill could burn for months, the city’s fire chief said at an emergency council meeting on Sept. 27.

Smoke from a fire at the city landfill looms over Frobisher Bay in Iqaluit on Sept. 24. - Emily Ridlington/NNSL photo

"Extinguishment at this point is still not much of an option," said Fire Chief Walter Oliver.

Firefighters started battling the fire at 2:30 a.m. Sept. 24 after the department received calls smoke was coming from the dump. Crews spent the next six hours trying to extinguish the blaze of burning construction debris including wood, plastic, paper, carpet and mattresses.

At that point, Oliver said it became an effort to contain the fire.

The pile of garbage in flames is horseshoe shaped and is 75 metres long, 45 metres wide and at least 10 metres high, Oliver said, comparing it to the size of a soccer field and as high as a two-storey building.

"We put 250,000 gallons on it and we didn’t even dent it," he said.

That is approximately 946,000 litres of water.

To contain the fire and stop it from spreading to a larger pile of domestic garbage, firefighters and public works staff dug a nine metre wide trench by 45 metres long. A small building where storage

equipment is kept was salvaged.

Heavy winds, thick smoke, the size of the dump and danger of the pile collapsing prevented firefighters from using heavy equipment to dig up the debris and douse it with water.

Oliver said there is six to 7.5 metres of garbage inside the pile aflame and it is highly unstable. If the crust of ash is broken, a rush of oxygen will create more flames, he said. There is also the chance the

fire could spread underground as the pile is 7.5 metres deep.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. Oliver said the dump is burning

all the time.

"The decomposition process generates heat," he said.

When staff turn over garbage at the landfill using machinery they often see flare-ups.

Councillors thanked Oliver and the firefighters for their efforts in attempting to extinguish the blaze. Councillor Mary Wilman said many residents had been expecting this kind of thing to happen. She

questioned Oliver on what type of emergency plans were in place.

Fellow councillor Romeyn Stevenson asked if a pump and hose could be run from the back of the landfill site to Frobisher Bay. Oliver said they do not want to put sea water through the truck. The Government of Nunavut has portable hoses and pumps in Pangnirtung that could be used. The hoses, Oliver said, would be far from the fire and would reduce its effectiveness.

About 750 metres away is the city’s main tank farm. Oliver said he is not concerned the fire would spread there. What could be of concern if the larger pile catches on fire is a transfer tank located 300 metres away from that pile. The tank is used to transfer diesel fuel when the tanker comes into the bay.

Efforts will continue to make sure the fire does not spread to the larger pile.

"We will do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen," Oliver said.

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