Fire at Riverton, probe on to determine if it was deliberately set

A section of the Riverton disposal site in St Andrew is now on fire.

Chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) Dennis Chung, who has confirmed the fire at the disposal site, told The Gleaner a short while ago that this is the second incident since this morning.

"The information I get is that it seems to have been deliberately lit because there was one this morning and they put it out and then there is another one started again," Chung said.

Chung said the information from the team on location is that a trail of liquid suspected to be petrol was discovered near the scene of the fire.

He said the team, which successfully extinguished this morning's fire, is now on location working to put out this second one.

The NSWMA chairman is appealing to persons to desist from deliberately setting the disposal sites on fire, based on indications that it was deliberately set.

He said the costs to put out these fires are significant.

"If that is the case we need to make a special appeal to Jamaicans (because) it costs the country a lot of money when these fires occur," he told The Gleaner.

The fire at the Riverton disposal site follows a similar one at the disposal site in Retirement, St James about a week ago.

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