St. Croix residents living to the west of the Anguilla Landfill were warned Monday evening to take health precautions after a fire broke out Sunday afternoon at the landfill.
Dawn L. Henry, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources said the the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority broke out at about 3 p.m. Sunday. The fire reportedly originated in the mulch section at the landfill entrance.
Henry warned the community downwind, to the west of the landfill as of Monday evening, to take precautionary measures, especially the elderly, children, and people with respiratory ailments, allergies and compromised immune systems.
Since the fire initially erupted, Waste Management and the Virgin Islands Fire Service have been worked together to contain it.
The Anguilla landfill has been the scene of many blazes, the most recent in September.
The Air Quality Management Program of the Division of Environmental Protection will continue to monitor the situation and advise the public of any changes, Henry’s news release said.
The St. Croix Transfer Station and Anguilla Landfill were closed Sunday and remained closed Monday due to heavy smoke caused by the fire that started in the mulch pile at the entrance of the facility. VIWMA asked residents to hold bulky waste at home; the public and all haulers were asked to hold waste until normal operating hours resume.
As of Monday night there was no word from the agency on when the landfill might be reopened.
Additional information is available by calling the Air Quality Management Program at 340-773-1082.