A large fire broke out at Cook’s Sanitary Landfill on the evening of the reported incident, starting around 10:00 p.m. local time, according to updates from Jamaica’s National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). In the hours since the fire was first detected, NSWMA crews have been working around the clock to fully extinguish the blaze and bring the site back under control.
The authority has issued a formal apology to nearby residential communities, acknowledging that the ongoing fire has disrupted daily life for local residents and created hazardous air quality conditions across the area. Health officials are advising individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions to remain indoors whenever possible and to follow all recommended safety precautions to avoid exposure to toxic smoke.
While the landfill site will remain operational for the time being, NSWMA is urging all visitors and waste haulers to exercise extreme caution when entering the property. The agency says it will issue a follow-up public statement immediately if fire conditions worsen, and will implement site closures if necessary to protect public and worker safety.
Looking ahead, the NSWMA has reaffirmed its commitment to upgrading safety protocols across all of its managed facilities, pledging to take all possible steps to reduce the frequency of hazardous events like landfill fires in the future.