A massive fire raged at the city dump off Tonique Williams-Darling Highway last night and engulfed thousands of tires as it threatened the surrounding area.

Director of Fire Services Superintendent Walter Evans said the blaze still had a high visibility last night, with flames stretching up to 50 feet in the air.

He said firefighters would be battling the fire into the night.

The fire started sometime after 1 p.m., Evans said, but firefighters don't know what caused the blaze.

Minister of the Environment and Housing Kenred Dorsett, said at the scene that the blaze would burn for at least 24 hours.

"This is the worst possible scenario for us because of the level of burn and with the summer heat and the current conditions makes it an even more untenable situation," he said.

Firefighters, workers from the Department of Environmental Health and police officers were working to contain the fire last night.

When The Nassau Guardian visited the scene a worker in a tractor was piling mounds of tires toward the center of the landfill so the fire would not spread.

On several occasions, workers, firefighters and even onlookers, had to back away from the towering flames.

"The primary objective right now is to remove the piles of tires that are near the fire and take them out of harm's way, so that the fire will not spread," Dorsett said.

"We already have two to three, one thousand gallon water trucks that are on site to damp it down.

"The terrain is far too difficult for the fire truck to navigate, and so it probably will not be utilized until we are able to clear some of the area so that it can get where we need it to be to continue to wet the ground and damp it down.

"The reality is I hope that this is going to be the last incident here. Cabinet has before it today a matter for its deliberation to finally bring relief for this landfill operation."

That relief includes landfill mining, remediation, and the creation of a green park at the landfill, Dorsett explained. He added that the ministry would look at the impact the fire has on the Jubilee Gardens subdivision and some of the neighboring communities.

"It is critical for us to ensure that public health is on call," he said.

In April, two employees at the city dump were injured after scrap metal scavengers started a fire.

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