Gareth Davis Sr, Star Writer

Hundreds of residents in west Portland have been affected by smoke from a garbage disposal (dump) site in Buff Bay, that has been burning at regular intervals for more than a week now.

A supervisor from North Eastern Parks and Market, Tracey deMontagnac Fakhourie, said yesterday that it is the first time that the garbage disposal site in Buff Bay has been set ablaze, and that the matter is being thoroughly investigated.

"There is a lot of smoke nuisance, which is pretty extensive," she said. "We anticipated that by tomorrow (today) everything will be brought under control. There are persons who come on the landfill and scavenge for items, and for various reasons, some lighting are done. We have had reports coming from far as Dover, which is right near the border of Portland and St Mary."

Residents in several communities in west Portland including Hart Hill, Windsor Castle and sections of Buff Bay have suffered from the smoke nuisance,.

Late yesterday, a bulldozer was trying to heap dirt on the affected areas in an effort to keep down the smoke. Several persons (scavengers) were spotted sifting through the waste in the intense heat and smoke.

Fakhourie said the situation is being monitored to rid the landfill of the smoke nuisance, but admitted that the area is difficult to control and secure.