ST JAMES, Jamaica — More resources have been provided to fight the fire still raging at the Retirement dump on the outskirts of Montego Bay. The blaze, which is suspected to be the work of arsonists, has proved challenging for fire fighters who were back on the job again Tuesday after a short break.  

“We had some successes overnight which we were hoping to build on this morning (Tuesday). It turns out that when we got there this morning after just two hours rest — the men worked right through the night and took a break 4:00 am — the fire had developed a little more energy than we thought it would, because of the wind,” Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Audley Gordon, told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Unusually strong winds, associated with a system that is expected to be over the country until Wednesday, have been fuelling the flames.

“We added equipment and trucks, so we have four pieces of equipment now and seven trucks. So we throw some more resources at it with a bid to have a decisive ending to it today. We are working feverishly to ensure that every inch of the landfill that is currently burning is put out and that the smoke nuisance is contained and put out as quickly as possible,” Gordon said.

The fire began about 8:00 am on Monday. Based on where it began, it is suspected that it was deliberately set.

“We have no concrete evidence to be specific but it would be difficult to think otherwise because it didn’t start on the actual landfill so we could attribute it to spontaneous combustion. It started from the edge of the landfill, on the outskirts. So we believe that it could be deliberately set,” said Gordon.

Since the fire was discovered on Monday, teams from the parish’s fire brigade and the NSWMA have struggled to extinguish it.

“I have to commend the team at the Retirement disposal facility. It is one thing to just look on and say, ‘Well there is a fire’, and to ask what is being done about it. It’s another thing when you have to be in the fire, in the smoke for 20 hours non-stop and facing it and trying to put it out. For the team there I really ask Jamaicans to spare a thought for them. Working at the disposal site is not the most pleasant experience, even in good times let alone when we have things like a fire,” the NSWMA boss said.