Orange Council Resource Recovery Centre Fire
Published Date: 22 Dec 2019
Summary
Greenwaste on fire at Orange Landfill. Brigades and council working together.
By March/Clergate Rural Fire Brigade
Our members at March are also our Earth Movers that are on call for the RFS, which we are forever grateful for.
We are Thankful for Bruce Morrison and his work as tonight they work to get the Orange Council Resource Recovery Centre under control.
Please be Prepared to leave your property if under threat!
Orange tip fire: Firefighters brace for long night after self-combustion
View the Central Western Daily story
Ten Rural Fire Service firefighting crews will spend most of the night at the Orange Resource Recovery Centre after green waste at the facility self-combusted on Sunday afternoon.
The RFS was called to the tip, alongside council workers, contractors and the State Emergency Service, about 5pm on Sunday after vegetation caught alight due to heat and dryness.
RFS Canobolas Zone inspector Nils Waite said the vegetation had caught alight on its own.
"It was self-combusting due to the dryness and the heat," he said.
Inspector Waite said the fire had quickly begun smouldering and had been picked up by the wind, spreading across the area, with mounds "20 feet high and 30 feet wide" of vegetation alight.
The fire was still burning at 5pm and was expecting to continue burning into the night, but Inspector Waite didn't believe it was likely to spread beyond the tip.
No homes are believed to be under threat.
"We're trying to break it up and spread it out and put it out," he said.
"We're continually pumping water and foam on it trying to put it out."
Fire crews will monitor the scene on Sunday night before the winds change at 12 noon on Monday.
