Landfill Fires: Their Magnitude, Characteristics and Mitigation

This report was prepared by TriData Corporation, Arlington, Virginia, under contract to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), National Fire Data Center. It presents an overview of the landfill fire problem. Issues examined include the landfill components that create fire hazards; the effect of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations and landfill cleanup efforts; a profile of landfill fires including their characteristics, methods of extinguishing, and safety issues for firefighters; prevention efforts to reduce landfill fires; and past examples of significant landfill fires and lessons learned.