On the afternoon of May 15, Mr. Nguyen Tan Luc, Chairman of Nghia Giang Commune People's Committee (Quang Ngai), said that a large fire had just occurred in the area at the garbage dump of the Northern Waste Treatment Plant under the Northern Construction Investment and Development Joint Stock Company.
According to Mr. Luc, the fire broke out at about 1 pm on May 14 in the temporary garbage pit area of the factory, with a burned area of about 1 hectare.
The initial cause was determined to be prolonged hot weather, during the process of storing garbage, some flammable items caught fire and spread to the surrounding area within the premises of the Northern Waste Treatment Plant.
Immediately after the incident occurred, Northern Construction Investment and Development Joint Stock Company coordinated forces and vehicles on the spot to deploy firefighting; and at the same time reported to the Fire and Rescue Police force of Quang Ngai Provincial Police and Quang Ngai Provincial Environment Joint Stock Company to support spraying water to extinguish the fire.
By about 8 pm on May 14, officers and soldiers of the Fire and Rescue Police Department of Quang Ngai Provincial Police had basically cordoned off and controlled the fire, preventing it from spreading widely.
However, by the morning of May 15, some locations in the landfill were still smoldering.
Due to the large fire, the fire area is difficult to access, so the Fire and Rescue Police force had to use specialized vehicles to fight the fire. By about 10 am on May 15, the fire was basically extinguished," Mr. Luc informed.
Local authorities and functional forces continue to monitor and implement handling measures to prevent the risk of fires breaking out again in prolonged hot weather conditions.
According to the Chairman of Nghia Giang Commune People's Committee, the fire did not cause any casualties, but the large amount of smoke and dust emitted from the landfill affected many neighboring residential areas.
Currently, some locations are still smoldering, businesses will continue to level and water to completely extinguish it," Mr. Luc said.
Regarding the incident, Mr. Do Tam Hien - Vice Chairman of Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee - signed an official dispatch sent to the Provincial Police, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and related units requesting urgent handling of the landfill fire incident.
According to the direction of Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee, the police force continues to monitor and prevent fires from re-occurring at the landfill. People's Committees of Phuoc Giang, Nghia Giang, and Nghia Hanh communes strengthen propaganda and mobilize people not to gather crowds, not to obstruct the transportation, receipt and treatment of waste at Nghia Ky waste treatment area, ensuring security and order in the area.
Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee also requested the Provincial Civil and Industrial Construction Investment Project Management Board, Land Fund Development Center, Quang Ngai Environment and Urban Joint Stock Company and Northern Investment and Construction Development Joint Stock Company to coordinate in implementing fire prevention and fighting measures, proactively responding to environmental incidents, and limiting the risk of fire recurrence at garbage pits in Nghia Ky waste treatment area.
In addition, the Department of Health is assigned to preside over and coordinate with the People's Committees of Nghia Giang, Phuoc Giang, and Nghia Hanh communes to survey areas affected by smoke and dust; organize medical examination and treatment, and distribute masks to people.
