VIRGIN GORDA, British Virgin Islands - Residents are being urged to take precautions as a fire at the Virgin Gorda Dumpsite continues to burn, producing significant smoke more than 48 hours after it was first detected.
The Ministry of Health and Social Development said the fire began around noon on Saturday, September 26. The Department of Waste Management is coordinating the response with the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Service and private contractors.
Efforts have been made to smother sections of the fire, but the blaze continues to produce smoke. Response teams worked well into Saturday night, with a larger coordinated operation expected to continue as authorities work to bring the fire under control.
The Virgin Gorda Dumpsite remains closed to the public while emergency operations are underway.
Residents are being strongly advised to stay away from the site to allow emergency personnel, excavators, trucks and other equipment to operate safely.
Because smoke remains in the area, residents nearby are advised to remain indoors as much as possible and keep windows and doors closed. People with asthma and other respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular conditions, young children, infants and older adults are being urged to take additional precautions.
Residents should also avoid unnecessary outdoor physical activity while smoke remains in the area.
Anyone experiencing difficulty breathing, severe coughing, dizziness, nausea or worsening symptoms associated with an existing respiratory or cardiovascular condition should seek medical attention.
But this is not an isolated incident
The latest fire also raises a broader question about the Territory’s continuing struggle with fires at waste disposal sites.
Virgin Gorda has experienced multiple dumpsite fires this year alone.
In early July, the Virgin Gorda Dumpsite was temporarily closed following another fire. That incident was eventually contained and the facility reopened. In July 2023, authorities also responded to a fire at the Virgin Gorda landfill after smoke was reported. Officials at the time said pockets of fire continued to emerge and smoke persisted even after the main blaze had been extinguished.
And Virgin Gorda is not alone.
In May 2026, authorities investigated a suspected case of arson at the Anegada Dumpsite. The Department of Waste Management said it was not the first time a fire had occurred there and warned that deliberately setting fires at dumpsites is illegal and extremely dangerous.
On Tortola, the Pockwood Pond facility has also experienced repeated fires.
In May 2022, two major fires occurred at Pockwood Pond within the space of a week. The Government said one fire had been linked to people illegally accessing the site and using blowtorches or similar devices to retrieve copper and other metals, while the second was attributed to spontaneous combustion from underground hotspots.
The problem has a longer history.
A Government waste-management strategy noted that self-ignition at Pockwood Pond had been frequent, with organic material heating up and creating conditions for spontaneous fires. The document also recorded concerns about residents being exposed to fumes from Pockwood Pond and the Cox Heath debris disposal site.
In 2018, a fire at the temporary Cox Heath dumpsite burned for approximately three and a half weeksbefore being declared extinguished. Government officials said emergency personnel and equipment had to remain at the site afterward to monitor and manage the remaining material.
A problem that keeps coming back
The repeated incidents point to a waste-management challenge that cannot simply be treated as a series of individual fires.
Government has previously identified several contributing factors, including spontaneous combustion, the accumulation of combustible material, illegal access, disposal practices and the need for better separation and recycling of waste.
In 2023, the Department of Waste Management announced a three-stage strategy that included daily covering of incoming waste with compacted soil, increased security, surveillance cameras, overnight security personnel and greater efforts to remove recyclable material from the waste stream.
The Government has also repeatedly emphasized the importance of reducing the amount of combustible waste reaching dumpsites.
Yet, years later, the Territory continues to experience fires at its waste-disposal facilities.
That raises legitimate questions about whether existing fire-prevention measures, site management, security, waste separation and disposal practices are sufficient — particularly as the Territory continues to generate waste while relying heavily on limited disposal facilities.
The immediate concern is smoke — but the bigger issue is waste
For residents of Virgin Gorda, the priority right now is getting the fire under control and reducing exposure to smoke.
But once the immediate emergency has passed, the Territory should also be asking harder questions.
How many dumpsite fires should be considered acceptable?
How much is being spent responding to these fires after they start, compared with preventing them?
Are the Territory’s current waste-disposal methods sustainable?
Are enough combustible materials being diverted through recycling and other waste-reduction programmes?
Are dumpsites being adequately monitored and secured?
And, importantly, what is the long-term plan for waste management across the British Virgin Islands?
These are not simply environmental questions. They are questions of public health, public safety, infrastructure and government expenditure.
For now, residents are being asked to stay away from the Virgin Gorda Dumpsite and follow public-health guidance while crews continue the response.
The Ministry said it and its partners will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as response efforts progress.
But the smoke from Virgin Gorda is also a reminder of an issue the Territory has been confronting for years: the BVI’s waste problem does not disappear when the fire goes out.