Teams of firefighters have been dispatched to the Gartskloof landfill site in Pretoria to help contain a fire smouldering under tons of waste.

The cause of the fire, which has been burning since Monday, is unknown but no foul play is suspected, with experts believing that the fire was as a result of spontaneous combustion.

The Tshwane Metro Council has in the meantime set up tents at a sports park in Lyttleton, Kruger Street in Centurion for any residents in the area who want to escape the smoke.

A mobile health facility has also been set up at Erasmuskloof fire station to provide medical assistance to anyone affected by smoke inhalation.

But there was no immediate danger to anyone, said Johan Pieterse Tshwane, emergency services spokesperson.

In a statement, the City of Tshwane said resources were immediately mobilised on Monday, but due to the volumes of the material on site, the smoke has not been significantly reduced as yet “even though the fire has been contained”.

To help contain the situation, the Tshwane emergency services called in support from Working with Fire and nearby municipalities.

The site, which has reached capacity, has not been used for dumping for the past three years and is currently only used for composting.

On Thursday the acting Executive Mayor of the city of Tshwane, Councillor Cilliers Brink, and Ward Councillor Rita Aucamp visited the site.

“We understand that the situation here is causing anxiety to the surrounding community. But we appeal to nearby residents not to panic,” said Brink in a statement.

At this stage there is no threat of the fire spreading to nearby properties, there is also no threat of the gases that are coming from the waste because it is buried underneath catching fire as the waste is covered by approximately more than 1.5 meters of soil cover, he added.

“Our agriculture and environmental management department will immediately conduct an assessment of all the landfill sites of this nature in order to anticipate and prevent this from happening again in the future,” said Brink.

Pieterse said he could not say when the fire would be extinguished, “but we will be here the whole week”.

Residents in Pretoria East have been advised to close the windows and doors to limit the amount of smoke in their homes.

“Children and elderly persons, particularly those with respiratory conditions, are urged to stay indoors. In addition residents are further advised to consult their nearest health care centres should they experience breathing difficulties,” said Lindela Mashego, acting spokesperson of the City of Tshwane Municipality.

Claudie Kannenberg form Wingate Park, about  5km away from the landfill site, said the smoke was really bad.

“When I woke up yesterday, we couldn’t even breathe. The wind is a major factor in spreading the smoke,” she said, adding that she and several other residents had come together to provide food and water for the firefighters. DM