Covanta facility fire lingers in Florida

A fire at a Covanta waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in Doral, Florida, that started Feb. 12 and has carried on throughout the week, has resulted in the mayor recommending residents stay indoors with windows closed.

In a Feb. 15 message, Doral Mayor Christi Faraga writes in part, “Smoky conditions from the fire persist in the area. We continue to advise residents to stay indoors, keep windows closed and continue to avoid the area as much as possible. If you need to drive through the area, please keep your windows rolled up and your air conditioner on circulation.”

A Feb. 16 report by Fox News indicates the fire started Feb. 12 and “continued to burn for a fourth day” Feb. 15. The report says fire crews from throughout Dade County are working “tirelessly” to try to extinguish the blaze throughout the week.

New Jersey-based Covanta describes its Miami-Dade County Resources Recovery Facility in Doral as “an award-winning [WTE facility that] is owned by Miami-Dade County and serves county residents with reliable and sustainable waste management.”

“Every year, our facility processes more than 685,000 tons of waste that would otherwise have ended up in landfills,” Covanta says, adding that the WTE plant can produce 77 megawatts of electricity “enough to power 27,000 homes for a year”) and that it recovers some 21,500 tons of recyclable metal annually.

In a Waste Today report from last year, the same facility is described as having the ability to process 1 million tons per year. “The Covanta Dade facility provides a vital service to our community and to our environment,” Miami-Dade County Director of Solid Waste Management Michael Fernandez said at the time. The report also indicated the plant was one of 10 WTE facilities in Florida, meaning the Sunshine State “relies on WTE more than any other state in the nation for disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW).”

In an initial message to Doral residents Feb. 13, the city wrote, “The fire at the County Recycling Plant is being contained. Please avoid this area as there will be continuous heavy smoke throughout the evening. At this time there are no injuries.”

The Fox News report indicates that while the fire may have been contained, it was persistent. Maimi-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told Fox News on Feb. 16, “As of this morning, there is minimal change in the status of the fire and it continues to burn inside two structures.”

The previous day, Faraga wrote, “Currently, the fire is contained to the facility and Miami-Dade Fire continues working around the clock to extinguish the fire in the buildings still affected. The [United States] Environmental Protection Agency is on-site and assisting with thorough and continuous testing of air and water quality. As of right now, tests have come back clear.”

The mayor also spelled out several road closures related to the fire and efforts to combat it.

Miami-Dade County Fire Department Chief Ray Jadallah told Fox News that in addition to suppressing the fire, crews were engaged in “a partial demolition of the southeast portion of the building.”

Jadallah estimated there were 100 firefighters on the scene as of Thursday. In addition to suppressing the fire and the demolition project, crews also were involved in moving stockpiled material from a “pit on the property” to prevent it from catching fire.