For at least the fifth time this year the Anguilla Landfill on St. Croix is on fire and sending an acrid pall of smoke across the western end of the island.
The methane-gas-fueled blaze erupted Wednesday afternoon and was burning as of Thursday morning.
Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. said the situation "remains very serious."
Crews are trying to contain the spread of the fire by building firewalls and using fill dirt to smother flames, he said.
The last fire at the problem-plagued dump ignited on March 24 and burned for two days before being put out.
Along with the full-fledged fires this year, there have been at least a half-dozen flareups. The likely cause is methane gas, generated by decomposing garbage.
Because of the possibility that the fire could produce hazardous or toxic air pollutants, the Department of Planning and Resources has advised residents downwind of the blaze to seal up their houses and either remain inside or relocate until the flames are doused.
DPNR also advised residents to disconnect their cistern downspouts during the fire, and to hose off their roofs before reconnecting the downspouts.
The fire is just one of the problems facing the Public Works-operated dump. The department must close the site by Dec. 2002 or the millions of dollars granted to the V.I. Port Authority by the federal government for a crucial runway extension at the adjacent airport could turn into loans.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered the dump closed because birds that feed off of it pose a threat to aircraft.
