Blaze ignites in Sonoma Marin Landfill amid record-setting heat wave

NOVATO -- Firefighters continued to dump water early Wednesday morning on a smoldering debris fire that erupted at the Sonoma Marin Landfill.

The fire began at the Recology Sonoma Marin landfill at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to Battalion Chief Jeff Whittet. At the time, an oppressive heat wave had driven temperatures in the area into the triple digits through much of the day.

Whittet said the fire appeared to be accidental and not suspicious in nature. Novato Fire District sent crews to battle the flames and were joined by units from Marin County Fire, Central Marin Fire and North Bay Fire.

Firefighters said the blaze was being fueled by highly combustible construction materials such as drywall and lumber.

Photos taken by Novato Fire showed a wall of flames burning amid the piles of debris.

Smoke and flames were visible from Highways 101 and 37. No structures were damaged and no injuries reported.

The "deep-seated" fire requires a lot of work to tackle. Large water tenders are being employed to put it out and bulldozers are being used to "push out" extinguished matter, let it cool, and then cover it.

 Firefighters were taking shifts due to the heat