Navotas landfill fire now fully extinguished – PBBM

MANILA, May 11 ------ Through the government’s relentless efforts and strong collaboration with the private sector, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that the lingering fire at the Navotas Sanitary Landfill has been fully extinguished. “Tuluyan nang naapula ang sunog sa Navotas landfill,” President Marcos said in a social media post.

The President said firefighters, local government units, environmental teams, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Tourism and private firms, including San Miguel Corporation, Prime Infrastructure and SM Prime, worked tirelessly in recent weeks to prevent the situation from escalating and to ensure the safety of nearby residents. The President also expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for its support and technical assistance.

While the fire has been contained, the President emphasized that response efforts will continue. President Marcos directed relevant agencies to sustain round-the-clock monitoring of the area, including air and water quality testing, thermal scanning to ensure there are no remaining hotspots, and health monitoring for affected residents and responders. “Ang pinakamahalaga ngayon ay masigurong ligtas ang ating mga kababayan at tuluyang makabalik sa normal ang mga komunidad sa paligid ng Navotas,” the President said as quoted in a news release of the Presidential News Desk.

Reports said the fire was caused by methane gas accumulated from decomposing waste, which ignited after being exposed to uncovered waste surfaces. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) earlier reported that the fire affected the air quality in Navotas, Valenzuela, Malabon, Caloocan, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati and Manila.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and DENR jointly inspected the Navotas Sanitary Landfill early Monday morning. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, together with national and local government officials, assessed the site to establish permanent safeguards to prevent future incidents.

Source: pna.gov.ph