A working solid waste landfill caught fire in Zhambyl District of Almaty Region, at the exit from Uzynagash village. The press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported the blaze, according to infohub.kz.
According to the ministry, an operational headquarters has been set up at the site. Firefighting is complicated by the fact that in some areas of the landfill the depth of waste accumulation reaches 3–5 meters.
"An operational headquarters has been set up at the site. The depth of waste accumulation in some areas of the landfill reaches 3-5 meters, which complicates firefighting operations. Water is supplied by truck. To prevent the spread of fire, bulldozers are separating waste not affected by the fire from burning areas. At the same time, burning hotspots are being doused with water," the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.
Loaders and dump trucks are being used to move waste and cover it with inert materials.
"A total of 33 people and 22 pieces of equipment from the Almaty Region Emergency Situations Department, local executive bodies and military unit 28237 of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan are involved in the firefighting effort. The fire has been contained on an area of 500 sq m. Work to fully extinguish it continues," the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.