On Saturday, August 13th at 1700 hours, OSC Tsang was mobilized to an on going landfill fire on Nantucket Island by a request from the local fire department and MADEP. MSO Providence was notified of the situation and has allowed us to respond as the FOSC. The fire broke out Friday morning, around 0900hours and has been creating a large amount of black smoke. The local fire department has responded with foam and water but have not been able to get the fire under control.
Approximately 45 homes exisit within a ten mile radius of the landfill. Residents have been complaining of respiratory difficulty and an obvious decrease in air quality. The fire department has advised that all residents stay inside with the doors and windows closed. As the response progresses, it will be determined if evacuations are necessary. EPA and START are reporting to the scene to supply air monitoring support.
On Sunday, August 14 at 0600 hours OSC Tsang and four START members were able to board the ferry to Nantucket Island with the air monitoring and air sampling equipment and two vehicles. At 0800 hours OSC Tsang integrated into the incident command system and began supplying air monitoring support. The team set up perimeter monitoring and began tracking the movement of the smoke plume. The constituents of the plume will be reviewed with the local responders, the PRP, ATSDR and the local Board of Health and will be used to determine if continued air monitoring support is necessary.
