Landfill fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A landfill fire occurs when waste disposed of in a landfill ignites and spreads. In landfills that do not cover their waste with daily cover, biological decomposition creates substantial heat and can cause material in the landfills to spontaneously combust. In the U.S. 40% of landfill fires are attributed to arson.
Landfill fires are especially dangerous as they can emit dangerous fumes from the combustion of the wide range of materials contained within the landfill.
Nearby streams can be threatened by leachate pools forming from the attempt to put out the fires. There is also often concern that the landfill membrane, placed under the waste will melt. Normally this liner prevents harmful liquids contained within the landfill from escaping into the groundwater and nearby streams. Destruction of the liner therefore leads to serious environmental problems
[edit] Notable landfill fires
- On January 26, 1998, in Ma’alaea, Maui, a fire 15 to 20 feet underground. The fire was eventually deemed to be extinguished in a matter of weeks, with injections of more than 1,000 pounds of liquid carbon dioxide. It continued to smolder for 4 months.
- An underground landfill fire that was discovered in December of 1996 in Danbury, Connecticut, caused a strong odor like rotten eggs due to the high concentration of hydrogen sulfide. The fire lasted for weeks and the town was forced to install a gas recovery system, whose cost exceeded $1 million.
- In early November 1999, landfill at the Delta Shake and Shingle Landfill in North Delta, Canada. On November 27, Delta's Mayor declared a state of local emergency. In total, extinguishing the fire for slightly more than two months cost more than $2 million (Canadian).
- On September 2, 2007 a large fire at the Fredericton Regional Landfill forced residents to stay indoors because of fears the smoke could be toxic.[5]
[edit] References
^ “Ma’alaea Landfill Fire Sparks State Effort To Develop Guidelines,” Environment Hawai’i, Inc., Vol- ume 9, Number 4, October 1998. ^ [www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v1i18-508.pdf www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v1i18-508.pdf] ^ http://wasteage.com/mag/waste_fighting_landfill_fire/
