5-day-old landfill fire in Tijuana affects residents on both sides of the border

A haze is visible over the city of Tijuana where a landfill fire has been burning for five days. (Salvador Rivera/Border Report)

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — For five days now, a fire has been burning at a Tijuana landfill and its smoke has become a danger to people on both sides of the border.

Marisol Montaño, director of Hagamos Conciencia, an environmental group in Baja California, says the smoke and tiny particles that seep into the air pose a danger, especially for people with respiratory problems.

“Exposure to smoke, even short-term, could have adverse effects on the lungs, make breathing difficult and lead to cardiovascular problems,” Montaño said. “It's already been five days, if it lasts longer we're talking about a lot of lung problems and throat irritation.”

Montaño says carbons from burning plastic and synthetic materials can enter people's lungs and bloodstream.

“The greatest concern is in the areas immediately around the landfill, but these particles are spreading throughout the city and beyond.”

People who live in communities just north of the border report seeing a constant film of smoke and a strong smell “like an electric fire.”

Montaño recommends that people living near the fire stop all outdoor activities and seek immediate medical attention if they have difficulty breathing.

Tijuana firefighters say they were not called to the landfill to put out the fire because the company that operates the facility, Ecowaste, has decided to let the fire burn out for the time being.

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District says it hasn't received any calls from residents, but it promised to see if anything unusual showed up in its air quality gauges and monitors near the border.