Smoke persists as dump continues to burn
(CNS): Thick smoke was still billowing across parts of George Town and Seven Mile Beach on Wednesday morning as the dump continued burning for the fifth day. Government officials said that while fire crews had made progress overnight, the landfill fire was still ablaze, with new flare-ups across the garbage mound leading to “varying smoke density at the site”. The situation is dynamic and firefighters continue to excavate, dampen down and cap the fires as they emerge.
Officials said waste located close to the landfill boundary had also ignited early Wednesday, which led to the closure of one lane of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway (ETH) to allow fire trucks to be deployed and the area doused.
“Crews were able to contain the flare-up and reduce the smoke density for motorists’ safety quickly,” Government Information Services said in an update. “As at 9am this morning, both lanes of the ETH are open and will remain open as long as it is safe for motorists.”
Chief Fire Officer Paul Walker, who remains at the scene, said the fire crews were working hard under very challenging conditions. “Everyone at the scene is very grateful for the community’s support to date and ask for their continued patience as we work to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.
Despite the changing situation, the fire service said enough progress has been made to reduce the strategic operation meetings at the dump, which means the next public update will not happen until this evening, well after 4pm.
However, the people are using social media to communicate details and pictures of the fire.
Although Cayman International School re-opened Wednesday, many parents were concerned about allowing their children to go back. The thick smoke seen at the school earlier this morning, along with new flare-ups and the potential changes in wind direction were fuelling parents’ concern that it was not safe for their children to be back in school yet.
One parent told CNS that he was very concerned that the Department of Environmental Health had told him it has no equipment capable of measuring what type or the levels of toxins in the smoke that the children will be breathing in.
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Category: Local News
What is most interesting from these comments is that some people are choosing to be mean when reacting to comments posted. It is a very sorry state of affairs when people are mean simply because someone is voicing an opinion that perhaps they don’t agree with. Being mean does not achieve anything and possibly is one of the reasons why Cayman is still in the situation it is today and why decisions have not been made.
People should be using this time as a time to reflect and ask the important questions that come from all these comments:
a) why was any development approved in such close proximity to the dump – the direction of the wind is irrelevant. The general scientific consensus is that wind alone does not necessarily ensure that certain areas are not exposed to the harmful toxins emitted from a dump fire – or for that matter from a dump on a daily basis.
b) what will be done and when? An honest timetable that is followed an adhered to needs to be put in place.
c) what measures can be taken to protect the health of residents/school children in close proximity to the dump until the dump is remedied. Yes CIS parents send their children to the school with full knowledge that it is next to a dump but unfortunately this is another issue in Cayman – lack of education facilities. For many families they have no choice but to sent their children to CIS as there is not space for their children at other schools on island. This is something else entirely that the Government needs to address.
d) why does development continue to occur in such close proximity to the dump while the dump remains active. Any development within close proximity to the dump, particularly where such development is going to be used for residential purposes, education purposes or as health facilities should be stopped.
Heightened emotions need to be set aside and solutions put in place.
STEPS TO ENSURE A RESTORED INDOOR AIR ENVIRONMENT
Exposure to toxic smoke particulates can pose a greater health risk than that of toxic mold, asbestos, or lead-based paint dust exposure. In order to restore the indoor air quality after a structure fire or wildfire, similar procedures and protocols used in mold, asbestos, and lead abatement should be employed. These steps should be taken to properly clean and restore the indoor air quality, primarily by removing the particulates rather than relying solely on treating, deodorizing, or masking them. Steps would include, but are not limited to:
Having a preliminary air sample test performed to determine what types and concentrations of chemicals and particulates are present. (this is important, so chemicals used in the cleaning process don’t accidently interact with the chemicals or gases in the air, which may produce more toxic byproducts) setting up containments, wearing proper personal protective equipment, running negative air filtration with proper HEPA filters, HEPA vacuuming surfaces, deodorizing, and encapsulation of exposed surfaces, etc.
Once the cleaning process is completed, an independent environmental testing company should be hired to provide testing that includes, but is not limited to:
1) Surface dust wipe samples to test surfaces for combustion byproduct particulate matter including soot, char & ash.
2) Surface dust wipe samples to test for the presence of metals including lithium, chromium, lead, mercury, etc.
3) Air samples to test for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) and smoke particulate matter associated with burned materials, paints, glues, plastic, synthetic materials, etc.
4) Air clearance sampling to verify that the air has been properly cleaned of toxic soot, char and ash particulate matter. An air clearance should be achieved prior to project completion and reentry of unprotected occupants.
Without these steps, occupants could be left exposed to unseen toxins, which could lead to adverse
health conditions or even death.
Lakeside was built on the back of many political promises at the time. The original developer has no reason to care as the units sold long ago. Why he would have bought the Wharf and invested in a hotel just down the street though is beyond me. More promises perhaps?
Life is full of choices.
Theoretically
I personally visited and inspected the grounds at CIS today and fortunately there were no visible signs of smoke or debris from the landfill fire. The administration at CIS is top notch and will never take any chances with the well-being of their students.
Hundreds of us personally visit and drop off/pick up our kids every school day.day. We know. We are all glad i’m sure that you finally know to.
Yeah, right. “Visibly” is the key word.
But who cares at this point. It is your kids.
Everything is my house is ruined the smoke has damaged everything I own. Everything has to be cleaned. I can’t wash smoke off everything..I rather have a hurricane than a fire.
I am a Caymanian living at lakeside.
File home insurance claim for smoke damage.
CIS issued this information to parents:
What has CIS done in order to re-open school and ensure safety of the campus?
Personnel from the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) were on campus today and completed an inspection.
After completing an air quality assessment in multiple locations, the campus was cleared by DEH for re-opening without hesitation.
CIS has an advanced air conditioning system with an integrated monitoring and alarm system that is activated if levels of carbon dioxide are increased to an unusual level.
The alarms were never activated at any point during the last few days.
The school purchased our own air quality monitoring instruments and we have been repeatedly measuring air quality from numerous locations.
All results were normal and acceptable.
See the information below regarding details of the instruments and monitoring.
CIS completed multiple evaluations of the school campus and assessed all playground equipment for any effects from the landfill fire.
There are no signs of any impacts.
Despite results indicating that it is unnecessary, CIS will elevate its current replacement timeline and replace air filters (intended to be ‘Merv 11’) as soon as possible as an additional action.
CIS clearly believes that it is acting in the best interests of its students based on information and advice they are receiving and we need to be grateful that they are trying but there are massive holes that need to be addressed.
Firstly the air monitors CIS is using are the following: a PCE-VOC 1portable handheld volatile organic compound (VOC) and formaldehyde (HCHO) meter or gas leak detector for indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring applications. and an Air Quality Particle Counting Meter PCE-RCM 10: PCE-RCM 10. Both these monitors are considered suitable for rudimentary air quality testing. They are not designed for providing air quality monitoring when it comes to significant air quality concerns. Air monitors that are suitable for providing this service retail in the region of USD5000+. The monitors CIS is using retail for under USD300.
CIS will elevate its current replacement timeline and replace air filters – AS SOON AS POSSIBLE…. and intended to be with Merv 11. The question to ask here is why does CIS not have air filters readily available for replacement purposes – dump fires are not something new – saying as soon as possible and intending is just not good enough.
However there are much bigger questions that need to be answered – why was planning approval granted for a school to be built in a location so close to the dump in the first place and why is the continued expansion of such school continuing to take place while the dump remains active. It is no longer acceptable to use excuses that the dump should have moved a long time ago or the intention was to cap the dump or that it is going to happen …. blah blah blah – ENOUGH. Honestly it feels that greed is the only common factor here. And there is the further issue that parents cannot even move their children from the school to another school on island because there simply is not room at other schools and so CIS charges over 80% more than other schools on island for the privilege of having a nice campus …. and YES we now know how nice that campus is, right next to a dump where the children are not even allowed to play outside and utilise the lovely campus because of the risks.
So the dump is still active and the school is expanding and we are being told that Dart is going to do something. ENOUGH
People need to start asking sensible questions and not relying on Dart. Dart claims it cares but how can a company that is so financially invested in the school and the area now stand up and admit that the school should never have been built next to a dump. The Government, CIS, the International School Services (which is clearly rubbing its hands together in glee from the exorbitant fees charged) and Dart need to all admit that they are at fault and it is our children that are suffering.
CIS keeps telling parents that the wind has been keeping smoke away from the school but this is essentially insulting to parents as it assumes we are all clueless and uneducated.
It appears as though you’ve learned how to Google. Perhaps now go see if you can find the windfinder website or similar. Failing that, lick your finger and stick it in the air.
Guessing you shopped at Kirk’s today.
If you think that because the wind is moving in the other direction there is no exposure to CIS based on proximity, then I think YOU need to learn how to use Google!
Thanks for the advice Pat, I’ll check it out.
Why not just explain it me if its so simple since as a simple soul am struggling to understand how all these smoke delivered toxins and gases move 400m North when there is a 25 knot wind blowing South West. And the assumption that reason the CIS instruments haven’t detected an air quality problem is because they are not expensive or sophisticated enough – as opposed to just maybe that there isn’t anything to measure supported by or the DEH advice ( which did evacuate Lakeside and Watlers Drive).
You seem far more concerned about the CIS risk than you are for the Lakeside inhabitants – a project built way after the school and also presumably at a profit for the developer – who are 100m from the edge of the fire and directly downwind. Or the people living in Watlers Drive 200m downwind. Just a wild guess here, but has your Google based expertise got anything to do with your views on CIS’s “exorbitant fees”, “we know how nice that campus is” and “DART need to admit that they are at fault”?
I am not the original poster.
However here are my 2 cents.
#1 this was not the first fire ever that affected CIS and other areas, including other schools.
No one can guarantee, without proper testing, that, regardless where the wind was blowing each time, “clean and safe” indoor and outdoor environment.
Every time grass is mowed in my subdivision, even on a windless day, my second story patio is covered with small, nearly microscopic grass particles and other crap. My vacuum collection bin is always full of nearly microscopic particles.
#2 Let Lakeview residents worry about themselves. Here we are talking about innocent children who trust parents won’t endanger them. Parents rely on DOEH expertise, and there is none. Absolutely zero expertise, knowledge and experience.
CIS must make no conclusions about its outdoor and indoor safety, unless Air quality clearance testing was conducted by professionals in the field
Read STEPS TO ENSURE A RESTORED INDOOR AIR ENVIRONMENT comment to get bigger picture.
And please stop being so cocky.
You can’t explain anything to an ignorant person using facts. That is a fact.
So parents are supposed to take their word without any proof?
It simply is impossible for all result being normal, acceptable, with no impact.
DEH personnel completed inspection? How? Visually? Who did the inspection ? Joe Blow or air quality professionals?
Lastly, are they confusing carbon dioxide with carbon monoxide? What exactly air quality monitoring instruments they claim to have and again, who calibrates and reads the instruments?
So unless surfaces, both indoor and outdoor, were tested in a professional overseas lab ( samples collected by professionals) for fire and smoke contamination and “all is clean report” issued, I won’t believe a single word CIS says.
Anyone who keeps repeating that wind and smoke were never towards CIS must stop unless you can proof there is no contamination.
7:21, aren’t you a smart a$$?
Smoke is a complex mixture of toxic gases and particles, which are generated from the vast array of materials that burn during a fire. A typical structure fire may generate literally tens of thousands of toxic chemicals and gasses as a variety of materials and products are burned.
Studies haven’t even scratched the surface to determine all the potentially adverse health effects that may result from exposure to the chemicals released from the different products that may burn in a structure fire.
One of the biggest health threats from smoke is from fine and ultra-fine particles. These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and can cause a range of health problems, from burning eyes and a runny nose to aggravated chronic heart and lung diseases.
Exposure to smoke toxins can be far more hazardous to human health than mold, asbestos, lead, or other contaminants. Respiratory ailments, cardiac hazards, and cancers connected with exposures to an environment affected by a fire are far greater than those from the past, mainly because the materials used today to manufacture products and their chemical composition have changed dramatically.
As a fire dies down, the smoke it has caused will disperse leaving behind a residue of quickly cooling particles which is generally referred to as soot. Typically, soot is representative of what has burned, but may include byproducts that at first seem unrelated to the original material.
For example, hydrogen cyanide is a byproduct of burning wool. When wood burns it can produce manganese and benzene. As many products as there are in the world, there are an equal number of byproducts produced in a fire and many are known carcinogens or extremely hazardous when inhaled or absorbed by the skin. A common house fire results in the burning of a wide variety of materials, from wood and paper to plastics and other synthetic items. This results in soot contamination, and poses a serious cleanup problem. Breathing the tiny particles can cause coronary heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, and many other respiratory illnesses.
You can read the entire article here https://www.uphelp.org/sites/default/files/publications/dangers_of_structure_fire_smoke.pdf where it also talks about firefighters exposure.
Thank you for your comment. Especially interesting was to know what kind of air pollutants monitoring equipment they have. A school at the foot of the dump must have industrial type equipment, not hand held instruments.
Disgusting. That school needs to be shut down until the dump is capped and the facilities need to be set up in Bodden Town or away from the main populations
Kirk Supermarket and everything north through Marbel Drive need to be demolished.
We get it…Expat school-Bad, Caymanian government school good. Dart..Highly successful Business and builder-Bad, CIG builds everything half as good but twice as much money-Good. Enough! Your pathetic.
Dear little girl or little boy you should not be posting on here without parental supervision. And you shouldn’t eat so much candy it will rot your teeth (and help stop your little temper tantrums).
Well, dart IS bad. Take away your metric of money being good and daddy D looks bad, bad, bad.
11.40am 11/3/2020 Direct rule is not going to happen. No matter how much you look down on ALL of our local MLAs or agitate and protest. Any attempt at direct rule is going to backfire on all you British expats living here and agitating for it. First you want the right to vote here even if you are on a permit. When you didn’t get that you started this ‘direct rule’ thing. At the same time we ate seeing attempts to rule by referendums and protests; coincidence? Maybe maybe not.
This government is completely and dangerously inept. They genuinely haven’t a clue. They’re bumbling along, destroying this island.
What have they done well? Any major projects? No.
Everything they do is reactive rather than proactive. Until it comes to tearing up mangroves and putting concrete everywhere. They’re good at green-lighting that.
Why in the world people need to test smoke? It is obvious, without any testing whatsoever, that it is toxic, it will shorten your life, it will give you cancer.
Lakeview aka Dumpview must be demolished. All businesses, residences and schools in the smog affected areas must not be occupied until it is 100% clear and at least basic cleanup took place. Seal your house, seal your a/c system and leave.
really?,…so you must apply the same logic to parkway, dog city and kirks…..
thanks for your input.
Joey already has a plan in the works to demolish Dog City. Stay tuned…
The best that CIG could do after all these years is to pay Dart to cap the mountain of trash there now and start a new pile to burn later. CIG does not have the money it would take to do anything else. Get used to it. Caymanians this is your trash pile. You made it , You own it. You can not fix it.
As the dump fire continues, the Premier takes the opportunity to respond to residents about the fire as well as the government’s long term resolution to solid waste disposal for the Cayman Islands.
In his latest message he noted that Dart anticipates that capping the current site will begin this month, IF the fire is out. However, there is NO date for construction of the new waste to energy facility. The secrecy of the CIG is intollerable, and totally unacceptable in the 21st century. There is no reason what so every for the government’s refusal to share planning documents or even have a committee comprised of community volunteers to work with professionals towards a resolution.
There are many, many, many Waste To Energy plants around the world. Several as close as South Florida and others in ever-thribty Sweeden. Why is the government looking towards those facilities as examples of BEST PRACTICES to copy and modify for Cayman? In general governments around the world are proud to share their plans and procedures for developing these plants.
Certainly any responsible contractor will be looking toward those examples for assistance in designing of a highly successful design/engineering plan for Cayman.
Stop with the European Trips and get to work on the projects you are paid to initiate, construct and manage. Just to help you out, here is a link to a description of a near by and very successful Wast To Energy Facility:
https://www.swa.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Renewable-Energy-Facility-1-9
Jeez, it is not that simple. In essence, it is a mini nuclear plant! Are you ready???
CIS did open too early as was expected, that smoke is toxic to drive through, remains in your car and can be smelt on one side of the school and in classrooms on the affected side of the building. Every child has a laptop and CIS already have a good online system for submitting work and teaching, school work was continuing for the majority of students who completed the work set and don’t take it as a day off. This should have continued for the remainder of the week until the smoke cleared to an acceptable level. It also would of given time for sand and play areas, handrails, benches, outdoor tables and chairs to be completely cleaned of any toxic residue.
You’re an idiot. The wind is and always have been blowing away from the school. Get it? NO SMOKE at CIS. You want to cause trouble with your rant go to the condos across the highway from the dump and cause your trouble there.
Obviously you are unable to fathom that even if there isn’t a lot of smoke blowing towards CIS that micro particles from the debris would be in the air and play structures then breathed into the lungs. Why do you still smell the burning tires as far as the Fidelity round about? You’re really going to trust “Talking Heads” at this point in time who are in the pockets of both Dart and the CI Gov’t?
Wow! Did you even go to school?
always???
People who call others idiots are idiots themselves. Why don’t you set a tent on CIS grounds for few month’s
Camping is illegal in the Cayman Islands
Is that what Bush told you?
Sigh. How many times. CIS is upwind. There want and still is t any smoke on the premises, and by extension no residue to clear. I have walked around the school and can state that for a fact. And on top of that the school has had air samples done – damn site more the CIG has done at Lakeview before they allowed people back there, where there is still smoke today, or the other schools that shut when they had smoke on the premises.
ppl need sue the govt for ….this….
It is not the government’s money, it is the people’s money. So let’s sue ourselves?
nope just ppm and cig cabinet for the last 30 years
It is not so loing ago that burning was the accepted method of dealing with the daily deliveries of garbage/trash/rubbish at the dump. Unfortunately this was stopped when some ‘expert’ advised that we should be covering the daily intake with marl. That has been caried to its obvious result: a 100 foot high hill. The supposedly segregated layers of rubbish and marl have been intermingled over the years by excavations to deal with subterranean fires.
In the meantime the Harquail Bypass was built and some idiot built Lakeshore only a few yards away from the dump; obviously the CPA was asleep when that was approved.
The answer is obvious: demolish Lakeshore and allow the dump to burn out. That will solve the problem for now; meanwhile think oif a long-term solution.
🤯🤯🤭🤭
That’s not going to help anyone living in Marbel Drive, Walters Road, shopping at Kirks, or wanting to drive down the ETH. Let it burn out – right.
CIS has to be closed. The students should be working remotely or from temporary facilities until the dump is safely capped.
Marbel Drive must be demolished.
based on what?
Common sense.
Does CIS need to be closed because Caymanians can’t send their kids there for free? What is your problem with CIS?
What a crappy thing to say. Keep the comment in context. And btw I am an expat who sends my kids there and work in the medical field and my kids are NOT attending school. They opened too early. This is not a Caymanian thing bozo.
Sigh. There is always one….
Does it affect SMB hotels?
Only the cheap ones.
Until you have a southerly or ESE wind….
no…only lakeside…according to local idiots….
“..Department of Environmental Health had told him it has no equipment capable of measuring what type or the levels of toxins in the smoke that the children will be breathing in.”
THIS IS CRIMINAL: willful disregard of an imminent danger situation. DOEH knows that a hazard or risk to safety exists but chooses not to address the matter.
Parents taking kids to CIS must be charged with Child Endangerment.
CIS administration must be charged with criminal negligence and willful disregard of an imminent danger situation.
Have they tested the air quality in Kirk Supermarket?
Who’s “they”, crickets? Did you not read “they don’t have the necessary equipment”?
I smelled the Chicken Tika & Lamb Rogen Josh earlier shipping there , just waiting for the Basmati to come out on nyam line.
For.The.Last.Time. The wind isn’t blowing anything to CIS. Lakeside needs to be demolished and Kirk Supermarket, The Wharf, etc need to be thoroughly investigated for safety.
whats your basis for demolishing these locations????
yep CIS never has had any smoke from the dump ever…
you sir are an idiot
DEH = Don’t Ever Help
Employees working at THE DUMP too. SUE CIG!
This is Dump Remediation, Cayman Style!
No COPD That is just something you thought up/made up
What’s going to be done about this problem? It is destroying Cayman as well as causing decreasing safety on the island.
CIS is just fine. Im going to try out the new Cayman specific smoked flavor on offer across the road at Kentucky for lunch.
Wot, I thought that new flavoured smoke was from those jerk stands in North Side?
CIS is NOT fine.
Forget COVID-19 – this crap in this stuff will eventually kill you painfully and slowly. Looks what’s happening to the emergency workers in NYC who were involved in 9/11.
Yes it will be slow as that how things go in Cayman…
no one should be allowed to return to those areas until a full check has been done or some kind of test is done to insure peoples health is not at risk … the coronavirus is out there. you don’t want to get people weak and sick before that gets here … CAYMAN ISLAND GOVERMENT …… PLEASE WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!!
I drove through that smoke yesterday and there is no way I’d allow my child anywhere near it.
ok… what is factual basis for your decision?
Community DEMAND! Scientific Testing levels of AIR, Water, SOIL!
You can get results extremely fast don’t be mislead by lack of equipment.
AIR RESULTS to USA can come back same week if not day!
Err, you cannot just take air samples in a ziplock bag. You need to have correct gear or results mean nothing. Usually only takes a few days to rush ship in supplies, that’s if Customs aren’t scratching their heads over clearing it for another week.
It’s definitely not a campfire marshmallow roast. You can Google what smoke from a normal MSW fire probably contains. Organic and chemical irritants, carcinogenic soot, tars, etc. Lots of hits.
https://wasteadvantagemag.com/landfill-fires/
Can’t be any worse that what CUC spits out over George Town EVERY DAY can it?
Oh yes, trust me as someone who works in this field it can not only be worse but much worse! This is mixed trash not diesel.
You think there isn’t diesel in that pile? You must be new here.
Particulate soot from diesel NEVER gets out of your lungs. Maybe you forgot what happened to VW motors? Plus we get dosed with it every day. Ever heard of bio accumulation. Read about it, not on google/reddit/facebook but in peer reviewed journals and papers. Maybe then your comments might have more weight.
no cayman politician who has served over the last 30 years should be allowed to stand for election. that should be their punishment for their incompetence on this issue.
also with the absence of qualified or competent local representatives….direct rule should be brought in for a minimum of 3 years.
Direct rule now for 3 years. Things are totally out of control here in the environmental and health front.
Do you really think direct rule would be any better? One of BoJos tame clowns taking charge here? He’s just promoted Chris Grayling into a job overseeing the intelligence services but the guy’s a complete moron!
No Direct rule 11.40.
please expand…
Why has CIS opened again today, that is disgraceful. Putting money over children’s safety.
Why is Kirk Supermarket open? Better wash your lettuce good.
They had no reason to be closed in the first place.
Toxic fumes are the weekly special.
At Kirk Deli
You understand that the risk is from smoke inhalation and deposits from the smoke? And the smoke is blowing SW from the dump and CIS is North? If you are 100 metres up wind of a fire you are way safer than someone 1 km down wind. It’s not CIS you need to worry about. It’s all the people living, working and even shopping at Kirks you should worry about. But no way CIG is going to admit that.
CIS was never affected. Why are you against CIS? Your putting your ignorance over facts.
Associates CIS with Dart, even though the school are an international educational foundation who are simply his tenants. Plus the rich and privileged go there (along with the not so rich but who will scrape and save to get their kids the best education on the island). Hate and envy go a long way towards overriding unfortunate facts.
I was with you until the nonsense about best education on the island.