In a replay of a fire that occurred last February, the Fort Frances Fire Department has been battling a blaze at the town landfill off McIrvine Road since last week.
“It appears to have been burning underground for some time,” Fire Chief Steve Richardson said Monday morning.
“We’re spending a considerable amount of time there right now. Our guys have been out there 10-12 hours a day since Thursday,” he added, noting pump trucks and a bulldozer are on site.
The former are used to douse the burning garbage after the latter breaks up and separates it.
Chief Richardson said the cause of the fire remains unknown at this time. “That’s what I’m looking into right now. It could take some time,” he remarked.
The cause of last year’s fire was due to spontaneous combustion from the rotting garbage.
“A landfill site can be a very difficult, dangerous place to fight a fire,” Chief Richardson stressed. “I remember with the last one. There were aerosol cans exploding all over the place.”
In other news, firefighters responded to a blaze around 11:45 a.m. on Sunday at a residence on the 400 block of Sixth Street West.
Chief Richardson noted the fire—which had been contained to the kitchen (where it had started) and part of the attic—was extinguished quickly.
“There’s an estimated $90,000 worth of damage to the house and contents,” he added, noting much of the damage was caused by smoke and heat, not directly by flames.
No one was home when the blaze started, and no injuries were reported. The homeowners were insured.
Chief Richardson said the cause of that blaze also is still under investigation.
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