Firefighters respond to landfill fire

A landfill fire near Manila, Utah, required assistance from the Sweetwater County Fire Department last week.

At about 5:30 p.m., Wednesday night, the Manila Fire Department contacted county fire warden Mike Bournazian, seeking assistance with the fire. According to Bournazian, county firefighters were given support from the Green RIver Fire Department, as well as the Granger Fire Department. The departments provided two engines and about 200 gallons of firefighting foam. The fire was cleared at about 1:30 a.m., Thursday morning, with the Manila Fire Department remaining on site. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Bournazian said the landfill is located in a remote location south of the town and required water tenders and fire engines to shuttle water to the fire, which was then mixed with the firefighting foam. He said the fire required more than 15,000 gallons of water and 150 gallons of foam to contain the fire. The fire was limited to approximately a half acre of landfill waste, with a depth between 15 and 20 feet.

“This fire can be expected to burn and smolder for many days and weeks to come,” Bournazian said. Bournazian also said the fire could have been much worse if not for the landfill operator’s quick thinking. The operator was off site at the time the fire started, but responded quickly by building control lines around the landfill with a dozer. Bournazian said the strong winds and high temperatures would have helped spread the fire.

Bournazian said the county recently completed a mutual aid agreement with the Manila Fire Department and serves as a great example of good will fire services have when it comes to supporting one another when needed. He said the two fire departments have worked on the agreement for the past 18 months, describing the process as “quite an undertaking” due to both sides needing to agree on the terms of the agreement and required review from the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office.