No injuries in Mission Flats dump fire Wednesday; cause undetermined

KAMLOOPS — An early morning fire at the city’s busiest landfill brought out a large response from Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR).

Just before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday (May 14), crews were called out to the Mission Flats landfill, where a fire had started in a large metal pile. KFR Chief Ken Uzeloc says without a water supply near the top, three tender units had to be used to shuttle water up to the firefighters working on the flames.

“It was great work by everybody. We had cooperation with Civic Operations and lots of city staff cooperating. We had a city water truck assisting with the shuttling of water,” he explained. “It’s a team effort always and that’s what makes it so effective.”

The plume of smoke was visible throughout the city and a fragrant layer of smog grew over the valley, which prompted warnings from fire officials about the air quality. However, the message was rescinded shortly after the cloud dissipated.

No injuries were reported. At this point, Uzeloc says the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.

“It could have been a battery. We don’t really know and it will be very difficult to determine. We’ll have people attend to have a look and get the information from crews and staff, but realistically, I don’t anticipate we will ever know a true cause.”

The dump is still closed as fire crews are still working at the scene, and it is unclear when exactly the Mission Flats Landfill will reopen. For now, residents are asked to use another landfill site.