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Waste site reopens after firefighters tackle blaze

Guersney Fire and Rescue A yellow crane can be seen to the right, its arm out over a sea of scorched and blackened waste, while the beams of its light in the dark show two firefighters in yellow high-viz using a hose to help dampen the fire. Smoke is seen floating upwards from the scene. Guersney Fire and Rescue
The fire involving green waste took hold at Mont Cuet landfill site on Monday evening

A landfill site has reopened after firefighters battled a blaze overnight, Guernsey Waste said.

The fire involving "overheated" waste took hold at Mont Cuet landfill site on Monday evening, Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service said.

The service thanked site staff who used plant equipment to "turn over" waste, while crews used four mainline jets to put out the fire.

The fire was out by 23:10 BST, nobody was injured and both the landfill site and the adjacent household green waste site opened as usual on Tuesday morning, said Guernsey Waste.

Garden waste material from households and commercial operators is processed at Mont Cuet to produce soil conditioner, the States said.

This involves the material being shredded and left in piles to "naturally break down" over a period of around three months.

Heat is generated as the material decomposes, and to reduce the risk of fire, the piles are regularly turned to prevent a build-up of temperature. The fire was believed to have started in a pile "due to be turned", the States added.

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