Miami-Dade increases access to Waste-to-Energy Plant Fire
Miami, FL – As Miami-Dade County continues to respond to the fire at the waste-to-energy facility in Doral, the latest updates and guidance for residents are below.
Miami-Dade County continues its 24 hour-a-day response at the plant. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue team has gained increased access to the remaining areas of the site and is suppressing small spot-fires. On-site staff continues to clear debris from the site, hauling 109 truckloads of waste from the facility during the last 24 hours.
Site operations have created little to no additional smoke, helping to maintain air quality readings for the surrounding area. The latest reports show average particulate concentrations in the good/moderate range, which have already improved with this morning’s wind and weather conditions.
Based on these latest reports, residents in the area can continue to enjoy outdoor activities but should be mindful that conditions may vary throughout the day. Residents should consider heading indoors if they experience smoky conditions and continue limiting their exposure to the immediate area of the plant. We recommend running your air conditioning at home to re-circulate air in your house and changing your air filter more frequently than usual.
Miami-Dade County continues to coordinate with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chris Ghaemmaghaghami of Jackson Health System (JHS), reviewing daily reports and providing updated health recommendations. Should residents experience any serious health issues including chest pain, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or an acute skin rash, they should seek medical attention or consider visiting: UHealth Jackson Urgent Care Doral located at 7400 NW 104th Ave, Doral, FL 33178 or Jackson West Medical Center Emergency Department located at 2801 NW 79th Ave, Doral, FL 33122
JHS staff will track and monitor any increase in respiratory cases, although none have been reported at this time. As conditions continue to improve on site, medical staff advise that symptoms caused by particulate pollution exposure should be temporary.
City of Doral parks remain open and returned to normal programming on Tuesday, February 21. Miami-Dade County Public Schools in the area remain open. MDCPS will reach out directly to parents of schools in the area to share any further updates related to afterschool activities.
The full reports and the latest updates and information can be found here: www.cityofdoral.com/wastefire and miamidade.gov/wastefire.
Doral residents will continue to receive additional communications and updates from the City of Doral.