Update on fire at Miami-Dade County waste-to-energy facility in Doral

Two days after a blaze began at Resources Recovery Facility (RRF) waste-to-energy plant in Doral, firefighters from Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue (MDFR)continue working nonstop to extinguish the fire in two of the six structures in the facility.  

Find video statements and B-roll from Miami-Dade Rescue Fire here.  

“I’m grateful to all our brave Miami-Dade Fire Rescue teams who have been working nonstop for over 48 hours to protect and serve our community,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We continue working hard to make sure all residents in the area are protected and that there is limited or no disruption to important services such as garbage collection.” 

On Sunday afternoon, Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management informed its customers about the closure of the facility and potential delays in service. All waste that would have been delivered to that facility under normal conditions has been rerouted to other County solid waste facilities for disposal. 

Miami-Dade County performed air quality tests in the first 24 hours and continuously to ensure the safety of the residents in the area, and all tests have so far come back within normal levels.  

The Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) is currently developing a water quality sampling plan to assess the runoff water from the fire operation. The storm drain system on-site is self-contained, therefore 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). 

Members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arrived in Miami-Dade County late last night and will continue to take the lead on monitoring air quality.