A fire at Taupō District Council’s landfill on Broadlands Road has now been extinguished, after starting in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Head of operations Kevin Strongman said the landfill re-opened to the public on Sunday morning, thanks to a concerted effort by firefighters and contractors to control the blaze.
“At its height, the fire covered an area of about 200 metres by 80 metres. It was a significant team effort to contain and extinguish the fire. The crews have done an incredible job from both the air and on the ground.
“We had helicopters with monsoon buckets dumping water on the fire, an excavator to the heart of the blaze, and a loader to smother it with dirt.
“We will continue to keep a close eye on the landfill over the coming days and weeks. However, due to the scale of the fire, we are unlikely to find the cause.
“It is a timely reminder to be aware of what we are throwing away – if you think it is hazardous it is best to err on the side of caution and talk to one of our staff at the landfill,” he said
