Email

Print

The mayor of the town towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena - whose council has been active in helping to fight the fire - says it appears to have been set by someone - and is now fueled by the massive buildup of waste:

Earl Trapp, Mayor of San Ignacio
"About 10.30 in the morning he saw one guy that walked out of the bush which was like about maybe 2,000 feet from where he was and about 10 minutes later he saw smoke from that area. So he believed that that's where the fire started or how it started."

"It took a little time, it began to burn and with the wind and the temperature of the sun it flew over to the dump station, to the dump site, to the transfer station and the garbage began to burn there and it threatened the transfer station, but with the swift movements from the fire service, MIDH, you have other personnel, you have other personnels, you have San Ignacio Town Council, Benque Town Council and other people. Mr was out there with his bowser as well and then with the swift movements we were able to contain the fire and that's what saved the transfer station. So the guys are out there battling right now and they're trying to turn it out but I believe it's going to be a huge challenge to turn out that fire, so it's kind of dangerous to have firemen out there trying to extinguish the fire and they will be inhaling those toxic fumes and it might not affect them no but two, three years from now it could affect their health, so it's very dangerous. Over the past three or four years I don't believe that the garbage has been managed properly and with time as time continued it began to pile up outside because of the improper management of the garbage and, of course, the disposal from there to the Belize City."

"I just believe that right now, that who is in charge of the transfer station, have to come up with a review, revise their policies as to how they dispose of the garbage, get people that will transport the garbage on a timely basis and I think it could be controlled if they put proper management plan in place."

the Fire has affected the council - because up to this afternoon, it could not deliver the town garbage to the transfer station:

Earl Trapp, Mayor of San Ignacio
"I think six of our trucks. It's loaded to capacity and the transportation couldn't take it. I cannot get mad at the transportation because of the fire they're still trying to contain, but I'm giving them time to maybe properly plan how they will dispose of the garbage because it's not only ours, it's Benque, it's the resorts, and especially household garbage cannot be in one place for more than three, four days because it begins with stench. So, yes, I am honestly, I'm calling on the relevant authorities to swiftly plan a way forward to be able to receive the garbage from our trucks to be able to be transported to Belize."

"What the manager said to me earlier about an hour ago is that they are awaiting two trucks to take away the garbage that is in the transfer station. Once they take that away, we can go and put the garbage in and then they will handle it from there."

"So, I'm hoping that that will happen today."

In an update, the mayor said this evening that the Transfer Station manager has indicated the council can now deliver some of the garbage. The continue to fight the fire.