UPDATE: Field fire destroys over 100 bales of recyclables and aluminium
More than a hundred bales of recyclable plastics and aluminium were destroyed in the massive fire that spread across a large field near the H Lavity Stoutt Community College in Paraquita Bay Tuesday night.
This is according to Green VI who said they have been collecting the items and storing them in the area for months.
“The significant impact to our work is the destruction of 98 bales of plastic recyclables and eight bales of aluminium awaiting export. This represents many months of hard work, and we are saddened by the set-back,” Green VI said in a late-night statement on Tuesday.
Green VI staff and a resident living nearby reported that a fire “mysteriously started in dry bush that was being stored for chipping into mulch for farmers”.
In the meantime, Green VI said no one was injured and none of its equipment was damaged in the fire. The equipment was located away from the burned area.
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Fighters were whipped into action Tuesday night to respond to a massive fire that engulfed a fenced field near the H Lavity Stoutt Community College in Paraquita Bay.
Video footage sent to our news centre shows that the fire spanned a great distance and blazed several feet in the air.
The location of the blaze is believed to an area where where recyclable items are stored.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined but eyewitnesses told our news centre they noticed the blaze some time after 7 pm.
It took firefighters several minutes to respond at the scene and an even longer time to contain the fire, eyewitnesses say. Police have since cordoned the area and multiple fire trucks were observed on location trying to out the blaze.
There are no known reported injuries from this incident.
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Everywhere else in the world the storage of trash and recycled trash is properly regulated. It seems a bit hit and miss here.
Isn’t it the normal practice to burn recyclables in Tortola?
This should be investigated as a crime with the perpetrator having something to gain by disposing of it in this manner. Harmful dioxins, mercury and other dangerous chemicals are released by burning plastics, hence it’s unlawful in most countries to do so. These end up in our water table and in the air for unknowing members of the community to breathe.
Fire at recycling plant heavily pollutes surrounding environment…
That is our history of farm land when we were truly sustainable and eventful . Todate it sad how it was leavd after irma it should of beeni one of yhe first thing fix . Secondly for that reason I question these so recycler plan of sustainablity for our island govern and people of the b vi be wise farming anud recycling cant be to close for many reason but the BVI people to easily bought and sold . Am all for cycling for real but these no profit business here needs to be investigated all of them they friends . The BVI need to wale up we have a problem on west for now all u let these people in the farm land .to creat a new trash site how smart . Y cause them claiming go green and sustainablity . They are business people hustling u uneducated in sustainability which is sad cause BVI was once very sustainable thanks to that farm land and the culture that builded us . leader please get that recycle plant out of the farm land and set them up near the incinerator so they can really do what they say they here to do.This happen to show what a bad decision it is to have a cycle plant in farm land or even close . Foe many reason look it up . Also thw people here running recyclingplants know nothing of what they are really doing other than following them friend to get a no profit use BVI .