Iqaluit dump fire extinguished after 4 months

The Iqaluit dump fire has been extinguished, after nearly fourmonths and numerous health advisories about the smoke hazard.

"We have been able to reach the permafrost level underneath the entire pile that was burning," saidMike Noblett of Global Forensics,who has been managing the site.

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Noblett saidtemperature gauges showthere is no longer any smouldering garbage.

Crews are now packing down the garbage that was soaked with water and they will restack it into a safer pile.

But Noblett saidthat won't be the end of his work. He will nowtrainpeople at the dump to properly sort out combustible materials.

Iqaluit fire officials saidthe burning pile reached temperatures of 500 C.Noblett saidcrews will have to monitor the temperature of all of thepiles at the dump for the next sixmonths to ensure another fire does not begin again.

Noblett saidevery Iqaluit resident can play a part in making sure there isn't another fire.

"If you're taking stuff to the dump, make sure that you tell people what you do have," Noblett said.

"That part isreally important, because they do have to make sure that they get some of that stuff out and away from the dump, so we're not putting the wrong stuff in the dump."

Noblett saidpeople who work at the dump are already being told what materials should not go into the landfill, including mattresses, tires, batteries andlarge pieces of steel and glass.