DEH and CIFS Monitor Vehicle Recycling Plant Site

Crews from the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) and Cayman Islands Fire Service (CIFS) continued to monitor the site of a fire at the vehicle recycling plant, which is now fully contained.

Excavation and damping down efforts continued until 2am on Sunday morning and a watching brief was maintained until 8am.

DEH and CIFS remained at the site to thoroughly search the debris and locate potential hot spots, dousing the area as required.

A handover of control of the site to the operator, Island Recycling, was expected later on that day with strict instructions to call 911 in the event of any re-ignition, however small.

Hose lines and trailer pumps will remain on site to enable quick deployment if required. CIFS crews will also make regular site visits to assess the scene using thermal imaging cameras.

Minimal smoke is expected from the scene throughout the day. Residents and businesses in the vicinity are advised to observe and react accordingly by closing doors and windows if they are affected.

Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker QFSM stated: “CIFS crews have worked tirelessly to fully extinguish this large fire and will remain on site to see this incident to a safe conclusion and minimise the chance of re-ignition. Given the scale and volume of mixed waste involved in this fire and the significant operational challenges we faced, I am very pleased and proud of our response and continued professional commitment.”

In the coming days, CIFS will conduct a thorough investigation and full operational debrief. Lessons learned will focus on minimising the risk of a future incident, improving CIFS tactics and response where possible and reducing the potential operational challenges faced by responding fire and rescue crews.

A further update will be provided from the scene tomorrow morning.