A huge fire has destroyed Churchill’s only facility for storing months of garbage while the ground is too frozen to bury it.
The blaze, at the town’s L5 waste transfer station, began last Thursday evening and was still smouldering Tuesday.
The building also houses the community’s recycling program.
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Churchill waste management facility after the fire that began last Thursday evening and was still smouldering Tuesday.
“It is a total loss,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt.
“We do understand the fire is under control and everyone is safe.”
Schmidt said she and other provincial officials have been talking to the mayor and municipal staff several times daily since the fire began.
An Environment Department team has travelled to the community.
“We are working together very closely… we know there are particular challenges up in Churchill due to the remoteness of the community,” she said.
Churchill Mayor Mike Spence said he is glad nobody was hurt. The facility is covered by insurance.
“It’s all hands on deck to come up with some solutions,” he said.
“We’re a community that is very environmentally friendly and we know we are a tourism destination of international exposure… you have to deal with the environment, with wildlife.”
Spence said taking household waste to the landfill, even though the ground is still frozen, is among the short-term measures under consideration.
“We’ve got a landfill area where we dig and bury but, naturally, during this time of year we’re not able to do that,” he said.
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The Churchill waste management facility in 2017.
“(But) it is fenced, so (until the ground thaws)… one of the things we are looking at is some kind of cover so that the winds don’t get at it and the birds don’t get at it. We’re mindful always of the environment — it is critical as a tourism destination.”
Spence said officials are thinking about a long-term solution that may not involve rebuilding the destroyed facility.
“We had an open house just last year in terms of looking at other options, like gasification and incineration,” he said.
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil-based materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide at high temperatures without combustion. Waste can be turned into heating fuel and electricity.
“This is a hiccup. We know we will work towards moving forward to where we want to go,” Spence said.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.