Iqaluit dump still smoldering after early morning fire

Firefighters were called to the Iqaluit dump around 2 am this morning.

Mayor John Graham saysthe fire appears to be out.

But he says there are still some areas smouldering, under the piles of garbage.

"Municipal enforcement, public works...everybody's been on the go here since 02-hundred this morning," Graham said. "Right now, they're basically trenching the site to kind of separate the two large piles as a preventative measure, as a protective measure, in the event that it flares up."

Graham says it's not known how this morning's fire started.

But there was another small fire at the landfill yesterday morning.

The city is asking people to stay away, while city crews continue to work in the area.

In 2010, afire at the dumpburned for over a month.

The latest fire occurred just days after Iqaluit city council postponed a decision on a new solid waste management plan, while they continue to investigate the option of incineration.