Schools and parks reopen as smoke conditions improve near Florida waste facility fire that has been burning over a week

By Melissa Alonso and Kelly McCleary, CNN

Schools and parks in Doral, Florida, will reopen Tuesday after a fire at a waste-to-energy facility that has been burning over a week raised air quality concerns.

Firefighters are still battling the flames, but smoke conditions in the area have improved, Miami-Dade County officials said in an update Monday.

On Friday, Doral Glades Park and Doral Legacy Park were closed, all outdoor activities in Doral were rescheduled and two Miami-Dade County Public Schools were dismissed early as firefighters worked to reach the center of the fire.

“Based on the latest air quality readings, residents in the area can enjoy outdoor activities; we encourage you to be mindful that conditions may vary throughout the day as the wind changes and to head indoors if you experience smoky conditions,” the update from the county said. “We recommend running your air conditioning at home to re-circulate air in your house, and changing your air filter more frequently than usual.”

The fire at the Covanta Energy Plant has been burning since February 12 and its cause is under investigation. Flames were impacting two structures at the facility, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during a news briefing Friday.

The plant, operated by waste management company Covanta, diverts “waste from landfills to generate energy from the combustion of municipal solid waste,” its website says.

The Environmental Protection Agency worked with teams in Miami-Dade County to monitor air quality in the area from Monday through Saturday, the county update said.

“Per EPA protocol, monitoring has now shifted from the EPA to an independent environmental response contractor obtained by Covanta, CTEH, and air monitoring data will be provided and distributed by CTEH moving forward,” the update said.

Initial results from testing conducted Wednesday through Thursday last week found elevated levels of particular matter 2.5, volatile organic compounds (Total VOC) and chlorine at various times during the testing period, the county said.

“VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects depending on the level that a person is exposed to and how long they may be exposed. Total VOC measurements do not give an indication of individual chemicals that may cause health effects; more information would need to be collected,” the update said.

County officials recommend all residents experiencing smoky conditions stay indoors, particularly at night when the wind slows down. “Anyone with preexisting respiratory and cardiac conditions, as well as older adults, young children, and expectant mothers, should take extra precautions, such as wearing a mask if you need to be outdoors,” the officials added.

No impacts on groundwater, officials say

The Miami-Dade County Division of Environmental Resources Management is also managing runoff water from firefighting efforts into the stormwater management system.

“The portion of the on-site storm water management system that is being utilized is self-contained and has no connection to surface waters or groundwater. As such, no groundwater or surface water impacts have been observed,” officials said.

Fire officials said last week about 100 firefighters were working to extinguish the flames at the facility.

There were four separate ongoing operations attempting to battle it, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said Thursday, including efforts to extinguish the trash currently on fire and the two buildings ablaze; a partial demolition of a building on the southeast side of the property to gain better access; shuttling trash near the fire to another area to prevent the blaze from worsening; and an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

“I know this question comes up quite often is how long is the fire going to burn?” Jadallah said. “Until we actually remove the remainder of the walls, and actually get the apparatuses in there, the heavy machinery to remove the trash, we won’t have an exact idea.”

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CNN’s Emma Tucker and Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.