The fire at the city’s waste management facility has been contained, but is continuing to burn under a layer of soil.

“It is not extinguished,” Peter O’Blenes, the city’s director of infrastructure and operations, told a media briefing late this morning.

Also speaking at the briefing was Diarmuid O’Donovan, the director of the territory’s Emergency Measures Organization, and Yukon fire marshall James Patterson, who spoke of the territory’s involvement in assisting with the fire.

The fire was first noted in the construction waste area of the landfill last Wednesday night. It had been contained, but flared up again at around 6 a.m. Saturday.

The city requested help from the territory, with the EMO activating its co-ordination centre and the fire marshall’s office stepping in to assist.

As O’Donovan explained, activating the centre meant additional capacity was available to the city in the form of heavy equipment, tankers and so on to contain the fire. It also provided a venue for city and Yukon government officials to co-ordinate efforts.

In addition, the city has also been renting out equipment from private contractors and has a specialist in from Vancouver to help in controlling the fire.

As of late this morning, a layer of soil was over the fire with more expected to be added throughout today.

O’Blenes said it’s not known yet what the final costs to the city will be, though it will be “a large cost.”

The timeline for how long it may take for the fire to be extinguished is also not known.

The city will continue monitoring the carbon monoxide level in the area to determine if there is a risk of it flaring up again. If there’s not, the city may just let it smolder – which could take weeks.

A cause of the fire has not yet been found, though officials noted that spontaneous combustion has not been ruled out.

O’Blenes said it’s possible that the fire had sparked a while ago, and was growing beneath the surface before it was evident last Wednesday night.

Over the weekend, approximately 25 firefighters were on the scene at any one time dealing with the blaze, with the city’s two fire stations also staffed.

Patterson noted the territory’s crew was able to use six tankers to provide a continuous water shuttle to the city.

O’Blenes acknowledged the fire department was stretched thin, given that there were other structural blazes that happened. Among those was a house fire in Takhini North (see photo, p. 3).

O’Blenes said the assistance from other fire departments and the territory meant that, though stretched thin, the city was able to maintain its fire service at both stations and respond to calls.

Throughout the weekend, Whitehorse residents were advised to stay away from the landfill and keep their windows shut in areas where there was significant smoke as fire crews battled the flare up.

As it was noted Saturday on the city’s social media pages, which kept residents up to date on the situation: “The surface fire was extinguished but it kept burning beneath the surface.

“Fire services closely monitored the fire throughout the week. At approximately 6:00 am. this morning, the fire flared-up significantly. Fire Services is once again attending.”

The hydrant at the Kopper King was continually used to fill pumpers with suppression material.

The city continued asking that residents refrain from going to the landfill, that there would be emergency vehicles in the area and to keep windows closed and avoid walking in areas where there is smoke.

“Because the smoke emanating from the burning waste may be hazardous, residents in nearby subdivisions are asked to minimize their exposure by closing their windows and avoiding recreational pursuits in the immediate area,” it was noted.

On Sunday, it was also noted there is no risk of the fire causing a wildfire as well.

“Suppression efforts continue on the fire at the Whitehorse Waste Management Facility,” it stated.

“The City of Whitehorse, the Whitehorse Fire Department, Volunteer Fire Departments and Protective Services are working together to actively manage the fire.”

Efforts were set to continue today to place more soil over area and monitor it.