A fire continued to burn at the Covanta Energy plant in Doral for a fourth day Wednesday.
On Tuesday, NBC 6 learned from Miami Dade Fire Rescue that part of one of the buildings has caved in. Meanwhile, residents continue to worry about what they’re breathing in.
DORAL WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT FIRE
Firefighters are still trying to extinguish the fire in two of the buildings at the waste-to-energy plant, but they face some challenges, including a partially collapsed building and getting equipment inside.
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"That will allow us to get in and start moving the garbage out of a 30 foot pit,” Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso said. "All we can do from a safe vantage point is keep the fire in check."
On Tuesday, crews with the Environmental Protection Agency set up air sampling and air monitoring stations which include toxic chemical monitors. Several of them are set up along the perimeter of the site. County workers also performed air quality tests and say so far, tests have come back within normal levels.
But, concern is growing.
Roberto Gonzalez is one of many people who live near the plant. He says he's had trouble breathing and has worn a mask since Sunday and he even moved his family to a hotel at one point.
"Headaches, sore throat and my eyes were in pain as well,” Gonzalez said. "The cloud was really dark. Total black. It was scary."
The fire broke out on Sunday as a conveyor belt carried ignited trash to several buildings.
As crews work to make sure everyone in the area is protected, people are asking how long will this last.
"I need to get out the house a little but is it okay? Is it safe? Do I need to be wearing a mask, should I be wearing a mask,” nearby resident Jessica Flores asked.
In a statement, the EPA confirmed they were providing air monitoring and air sampling assistance.
"At this time, two EPA Superfund emergency responders, with EPA contractor support, are at the scene and have deployed air monitoring and air sampling equipment to assist in determination of what hazardous constituents may be present in smoke emanating from the fire," the statement read. "EPA established air monitoring stations consisting of particulate monitors and toxic chemical monitors (carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic compounds). EPA also established air sampling stations consisting of total volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and metals."
There is a contractor on site putting a plan together to remove the partially collapsed building so firefighters can get in extinguish the rest of the fire.
Miami Dade County says the Division of Environmental Resources Management is developing a water quality sampling plan to assess the runoff water from the fire operation. The storm drain system on-site is self-contained and all runoff stays within the premises.
DERM air monitoring stations throughout the county have not detected any irregular readings for the criteria pollutants that are used to define the air quality index (AQI).
