One Sunday at around 3:00 p.m., a fire broke out on the surface of a non-hazardous waste cell at a landfill of hazardous waste and polluted soil. A resident spotted smoke and alerted the on-call technician and the firefighters. The firefighters arrived with two fire engines, one of which was fitted with a foam system. Using one of the facility’s loader, they attacked the flames and covered the area with soil. They left at 4:45 p.m. The employees finished covering the pile of waste at 6:30 p.m. The area was monitored for flare-ups. The facility resumed normal operations the following day.

The previous Friday evening, the waste had been too lightly covered before the facility was closed for the weekend. Gusty winds were able to penetrate deep into the waste and increase its temperature. An analysis of the waste involved in the fire revealed the presence of four suspicious small drums of chemicals. They may have been the cause of the fire.

After the incident, the operator:

• raised his employees’ awareness of the importance of monitoring the quality of incoming waste and of following operating procedures (waste coverage);
• instituted random checks by the team leader to ensure that procedures are being correctly followed;
• instituted end-of-shift checks using a portable thermal imaging camera;
• put in place a caretaker to watch over and patrol the facility during outside of business hours;
• replaced flame detectors by thermal imaging cameras;
• replaced the crawler loader by higher-grade equipment to ensure effective covering.