Vunato fire puts waste management under scrutiny

Hot, dry conditions and waste management challenges are in focus as firefighters continue efforts to extinguish a blaze at the Vunato disposal site in Lautoka.

Lautoka City Council acting chief executive officer and special administrators chairperson Taitusi Rasoki said the fire started around midday today and was under control, although smoke remained a challenge for the council.

Mr Rasoki said the council was working with the National Fire Authority (NFA), with resources mobilised to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.

“Despite the numerous challenges, we are trying our best to completely extinguish the fire as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr Rasoki said the fire was suspected to have been deliberately lit to expose scrap metal at the site. However, this has not been independently confirmed.

The incident has also highlighted the risks hot, dry weather can pose at waste-disposal sites.

Dry conditions can increase the risk of fires. Changing rainfall and temperature patterns associated with climate change can also affect fire danger in some locations. However, there is no confirmed evidence that climate change contributed to the Vunato fire.

For residents living near the site, the immediate concern is the smoke.

Some Vunato residents said they were fortunate the wind was not blowing smoke towards their homes.

“We are lucky that the winds don’t blow in our direction, and if they do, it will be a big problem. We will probably lock ourselves inside the house because of the smoke,” one resident said.

The resident said the smoke was drifting towards Lovu.

Another resident said fires at the disposal site tended to occur during the dry season and could take a long time to extinguish.

The resident said the community was aware that the NFA had been working to extinguish the fire since yesterday.

However, another resident believed hot, dry weather had triggered the fire rather than deliberate action. The cause of the fire remains unconfirmed.

Some residents have also taken to social media to call on the council to seek assistance from TNG Fiji, also known as TNG Holdings (Fiji) Pte Limited, and consider keeping the disposal site at Vuda.

The fire raises broader questions about how waste-disposal sites can be managed to reduce fire risks, protect nearby communities from smoke and prepare for periods of hot, dry weather.