Fire crews battle blaze at Moose Jaw landfill

Moose Jaw fire crews were on scene at the city's landfill into the early hours of Tuesday morning, working to contain a fire blazing through the dump itself.

Moose Jaw Fire Department crews responded at approximately 10 p.m., after a call reported the blaze to authorities.

Members of the city's landfill crew were called in to aid firefighters, working to move material and help isolate the burning, said MJFD Chief Rod Montgomery.

“With the fire being out on top of a hill, it was a bit of a challenge,” said Montgomery. “This event was after hours, so when we got there, the fire was already well on its way.”

High winds and low temperatures played a factor in containment efforts, said Montgomery, but the blaze was finally subdued at approximately 3 a.m.

Fire crews left city employees to monitor and conduct cleanup at that time.

“It's the landfill, so you don't know necessarily what you're dealing with all the time,” said Montgomery. “But our crews did a good job and they handled it well.”

This is the second fire at the landfill site this month, following a reported incident on April 7 that authorities determined was started due to a lithium ion battery.

Montgomery said that a cause for Monday's fire has not been determined, but investigation into the incident is ongoing.

“I can't speculate on what the cause was this time,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery estimated the majority of damage occurred to garbage being housed in the landfill. No injuries were reported and no damage occurred to on-site equipment, confirmed a news release from the city.

The city also reminded residents not to dispose of electronics or hazardous materials in the landfill, or to smoke cigarettes on or near the property.