MIAMI – Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava held a press conference Thursday to give the latest update on the Doral waste-to-energy facility fire.
A fire at a waste-to-energy facility in Doral continued burning Thursday, five days after initially igniting and casting large plumes of smoke into the air.
The Covanta Energy plant is where the fire erupted on Sunday.
It is located near the intersection of Northwest 74th Street and 97th Avenue in Doral.
Levine Cava began the press conference by thanking first responders that have responded to the fire to protect and serve the county.
She said there was minimal change in Thursday’s progress to put out the fire and it continues to burn inside of two structures in the plant.
“To create additional access to the fire, our teams began a partial demolition of the space, and they are making steady progress,” said Levine Cava.
She said that crews will focus on bringing down the north and east walls of the structure which will allow more air to enter the structure to create more access to put out the fire.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been on-site working with the county’s fire and division of environmental resources team to monitor the water and air quality.
“We’ve started to conduct air monitoring throughout the community, downwind near residential areas and we are providing that information through the incident command as well,” said Matt Huyser, on-scene coordinator with EPA Region 4.
Doral residents that are experiencing respiratory issues were advised to remain indoors and wear a mask while the fire is still active.
Anyone driving around the plant was also advised to keep their windows up to avoid smoke from coming into the vehicle.
Authorities said over 100 firefighters have been working around the clock since Sunday afternoon.
Road closures remain in place as firefighters continue to battle the blaze, and drivers have been asked to avoid the area.
Investigators believe the fire initially sparked from a conveyor belt.
“Until the remainder of the walls and the apparatuses are removed, we won’t have an estimate on the length of the firefight,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told Local 10 News that federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were seen at the facility.