Authorities battling to douse fire at Tshwane landfill site

The cause of the fire is unknown, but authorities believe it may have been caused by what is known as a "spontaneous combustions of waste".

"Last Sunday one of the rows of shredded garden waste started emitting smoke, which suggested that there must have been a fire burning underneath. 

"This is caused by a combination of the high temperature in the belly of a waste heap together with the heatwave weather conditions," says Tshwane Emergency Services chief Previn Govender.

Emergency services have been on the site since Monday, but has not been able to prevent the fire from spreading throughout the landfill site. 

The landfill site mostly consists of compost heaps. 

A huge cloud of smoke can been seen hanging over parts of the City's eastern suburbs.

Acting Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink says emergency services will remain on site and will work 24/7 to ensure that the fire is completely extinguished. 

"The current status is that two compost heaps have been opened up and extinguished throughout the night. The strong windy conditions are hampering our efforts to douse the fire swiftly."

EMS says at this stage there is no threat of the fire spreading to nearby properties. 

There is also no threat of the gases from the waste that is buried underneath catching fire, as the waste is covered by more than 1.5 meters of soil.