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Fire at County Waste-to-Energy Facility

Updated March 30, 2023

Miami-Dade County and the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue team have gained access to all remaining areas of the site. The MDFR team has successfully extinguished the full blaze. A diminished MDFR team remains on site to suppress any new smoldering. On-site staff continues to clear debris from the site, hauling hundreds of truckloads of waste from the facility. Site operations have created no additional smoke, helping to maintain air quality readings for the surrounding area. The latest reports show average particulate concentrations in the good/moderate range.

Based on these latest reports, residents in the area can return to normal indoor and outdoor activity.

Miami-Dade County and the City of Doral continue to coordinate with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chris Ghaemmaghami of Jackson Health System (JHS), reviewing daily reports and providing updated health recommendations. Should residents experience any serious health issues including chest pain, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or an acute skin rash, they should seek medical attention or consider visiting:

  • UHealth Jackson Urgent Care | Doral located at 7400 NW 104th Ave, Doral, FL 33178 or,
  • Jackson West Medical Center | Emergency Department located at 2801 NW 79th Ave, Doral, FL 33122
To date, JHS staff has tracked zero cases of respiratory distress due to the fire. 

Environmental Monitoring
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arrived at the site on Monday, February 13th and worked hand in hand with Miami-Dade County teams, monitoring air quality within the facility and surrounding area. They produced their first 24-hour report on Wednesday, February 15th. EPA staff Per EPA protocol, monitoring has now shifted from the EPA to an independent environmental response contractor obtained by Covanta, CTEH, and air monitoring data will be provided and distributed by CTEH moving forward. 

The daily reports can be found here:

The EPA also conducted one-hour sampling at locations in the surrounding area. The 1-hour reports can be found here:

Initial results from February 15 to February 16 indicate elevated levels above EPA action levels of Particular Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), Volatile Organic Compounds (Total VOC), and Chlorine (Cl2), at various times during the 24-hour period. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects depending on the level that a person is exposed to and how long they may be exposed. Total VOC measurements do not give an indication of individual chemicals that may cause health effects; more information would need to be collected.

The Miami-Dade County Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) has been monitoring the firefighting operations and actively been participating in the management of the runoff water from the fire into the stormwater management system. It should be noted that the portion of the on-site storm water management system that is being utilized is self-contained and has no connection to surface waters or groundwater. As such, no groundwater or surface water impacts have been observed. In order to properly profile the contact water, DERM staff has collected and analyzed samples in order to further assist in the management and disposal operations of the water. Find the latest DERM testing results here:

Recommendations for Residents
Based on the latest air quality readings, residents in the area can return to normal indoor and outdoor activity.

Waste Collection
The Department of Solid Waste is working to minimize impacts to waste collection. Residents should continue to place their trash outside for pickup as regularly scheduled but may still experience delays in collection over the coming days. Miami-Dade County ask for your patience and understanding as we assess the full impact of the incident on our waste pick-up services.

Additional Resources Provided by the EPA

Communications
On Saturday, February 18, the City of Doral conducted a virtual town hall to answer resident questions about the fire.
Watch the virtual town hall
Solid Waste Service Alerts

Frequently Asked Questions

Watch the Press Conferences

Feb. 17, 2023

On Friday, Feb. 17, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, health and environmental experts, and elected officials provided the latest information on efforts to put out the fire at the waste-to-energy facility in Doral.

Feb. 16, 2023

On Thursday, Feb. 16, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava provided the latest information on efforts to put out the fire at the waste-to-energy facility in Doral, and also offered safety tips.

Feb. 15, 2023

On Wednesday, Feb. 15, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava provided an update on efforts to put out the fire and described air and water monitoring efforts.

Feb. 13, 2023

On Monday, Feb. 13, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava provided an update on the waste-to-energy facility fire in Doral.

Feb. 12, 2023

On Sunday, Feb. 12, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava alerted the community about the fire at the County's waste-to-energy facility in Doral.

Mayor's Message

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