Smoky rubbish fire at waste facility in Doral
MIAMI - MIAMI - Miami-Dade firefighters battled a smoky rubbish fire outside a waste facility in Doral on Tuesday morning.
Just after 7 a.m., Miami-Dade Fire Rescue got word of the fire at the West Dade Waste Operations Building at 8831 NW 58th Street. It's just west of the Palmetto Expressway and east of the Florida Turnpike Extension.
Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.
Arriving firefighters found a large fire and immediately began an attack.
"It was a metal recycling plant fire. Mostly metal materials, about 30 feet in height. We had multiple crews on scene along with heavy machinery. Ultimately, we were able to get the fire under control," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Angel Colom.
The heavy machinery was used to break apart the rubbish pile in order to put the fire.
There are no reported injuries.
This wasn't the first fire at a waste/recycling site in Doral this year.
In February, there was a trash fire at the Miami-Dade Solid Waste Management home chemical collection center at 8801 NW 58th Street. They were able to isolate the fire from the nearby structure and quickly put it out.
That same month, there was also a fire at the Covanta waste-to-energy plant, at 6990 NW 97th Avenue, that burned for more than a week and destroyed several buildings.
"It's a beautiful neighborhood so they should crack down on that, and it's also dangerous, they have schools around here, kids are running around playing and its hazardous for them too," Anna McCarthy, Doral Resident said.
Residents like McCarthy are concerned about what may linger in the air, so is the Mayor of Doral, Christ Fraga who says the air is continuously monitored by the county.
CBS News Miami asked Mayor Fraga if she's able to push the county to do more, she said she's been working with county but noted, "In this case the operators are Miami-Dade County so we're working very closely with them once again to find out what is the cause, and you know asking them to make sure this doesn't continue to happen and take whatever corrective measures need to take place, so we continue to protect our residents."
As a precaution a physician at HCA Florida University Hospital said those with compromised health, may want to stay indoors, and should they experience any issues, contact a doctor immediately.
"They should definitely keep in in mind the different types of symptoms that's possible with inhaling this caustic pollutants, such as shortness of breath, coughing, a burning sensation in their trachea as well," Dr. Sheeraz Baig said.