A view from Plantation Heights in Upper St Andrew of the Riverton City landfill in Kingston, where a fire still raged yesterday. The fire at the dump left the Corporate Area and sections of St Catherine covered in heavy smoke. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Valuable production time was lost yesterday as some top-end businesses along Spanish Town Road in south St Andrew were forced to send employees home as thick smoke continued to rise from the Riverton City landfill.

Sections of the landfill remained under fire up to yesterday afternoon, despite efforts by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and the fire brigade to put out the blaze that left several sections of the Kingston Metropolitan Area blanketed in smoke.

Berger Paints, which has its main offices on Spanish Town Road, closed its offices early yesterday afternoon due the pungent fumes coming from the landfill, while other establishments were forced to send home employees due to respiratory problems triggered by the smoke from the dump.

"On my complex they had to shut down for the morning and three quarters of the staff had to be sent home due to respiratory problems. There is no operation going on," one employee of J Wray & Nephew Ltd, which also has its main offices on Spanish Town Road, told The Gleaner.

Trapped indoors

Cooking gas dealers, IGL Limited, reported that at least one of its employees had to be taken to hospital, while other employees were given strict instructions to close windows and stay indoors to minimise inhalation of the smoke.

Red Stripe's corporate communications manager, Maxine Whittingham, said while her company was not forced to send home any employees, it was affected.

Rotation of inmates

In a media advisory yesterday, Chief Medical Officer Dr Sheila Campbell Forrester urged residents living in the vicinity of the dump to take all the necessary precautions to protect themselves until the fire and smoke were brought under control.

She said landfill fires often emit a variety of pollutants that have the potential to affect the health of the persons exposed to the smoke. She said residents should remain indoors as much as possible.

Fumes from the landfill affected areas as far as Spanish Town in St Catherine and Red Hills and Papine in St Andrew.

A heavy contingent of Jamaica Defence Force soldiers and police were called in to assist with operations yesterday after claims were made that gunmen were hindering the NSWMA and the fire brigade from putting out the fire.