Picture for illustration purposes. Firefighters are seen spraying water on to some of the smouldering compost at the Gartskloof Landfill site in Pretoria East, the compost heaps caught fire on Monday and will take more than a week to douse the smouldering heaps, 9 November 2017, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
The City of Johannesburg has apologised to residents affected by smoke after the fire which broke out at the Panorama Composting Plant in Roodepoort.
The City’s apology comes after residents raised concerns about the health hazards associated with the smouldering site left after the recent fire, which started on Tuesday, 29 September 2020.
The member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for environment and infrastructure services, Mpho Moerane, said the fire has affected communities in wards 70, 83, 85, 97 and 126.
Moerane said the Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) has been hard at work to contain the billowing smoke.
However, he warned residents the smoke might take another week or more before it subsides.
“The City has employed expertise services from other departments and related institutions, such as Working for Fire, who are more experienced in firefighting.
“All our senior managers are permanently on site to assist and unlock blockages towards the speedy resolution of the challenge we are faced with,” added Moerane.
The City said it would continue to deploy the necessary resources to ensure the fire was extinguished.
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