Landfill Fires

Landfill Fires – Fast, Deep & Controlled Extinguishment

The Challenge of Landfill Fires

Landfill fires present one of the most complex and persistent fire scenarios in modern waste management. These fires often start deep below the surface and can smolder for days, weeks, or even months before becoming visible.

Unlike conventional fires, landfill fires are:

• Difficult to locate precisely

• Resistant to water-based suppression

• Prone to re-ignition

• Environmentally hazardous due to toxic gas release

Subsurface hotspots, combined with heterogeneous waste composition, create a fire behavior that is unpredictable and extremely difficult to control.

Why Traditional Methods Fall Short

Conventional firefighting techniques such as water application or foam are often ineffective in landfill environments:

• Limited penetration: Water cannot reach deep-seated fire pockets and evaporates before reaching the required depth

• Oxygen entrainment: Excessive water can introduce oxygen, worsening the fire

• Runoff contamination: Polluted extinguishing water creates environmental risks

• Extended operational time: Fires can burn for weeks despite intervention

• Risk of landslides: during deployment of excessive volumes of water, internal sanlayers can erode and cause landslides

As a result, landfill fires frequently require prolonged, resource-intensive suppression efforts with uncertain outcomes.

The Flamblocker CF7 Solution

Flamblocker CF7 is specifically designed to address the unique challenges of deep-seated and complex fires such as those found in landfills and waste bunkers.

CF7 works by:

• Rapidly cooling the combustion zone (continues cooling after water evaporated)

• Interrupting the chemical chain reaction

• Penetrating deep into the waste mass

• Creating a stable, long-lasting extinguishing effect

This combination ensures not only fast knockdown but also effective prevention of re-ignition.

Deep-Seated Fire Suppression – How It Works

CF7 can be applied using various deployment methods depending on the landfill configuration:

• Injection into hotspots using lances or probes

• Surface application for active fire zones (regular deployment systems or deployement of firefighting drone)

• Integration with existing firefighting systems or units

The agent spreads through the waste layers, reaching areas that water and foam cannot effectively access as water evaporates and foam has limited heat acceptance before losing effects

Advanced Deployment: Heavy-Lift Drone Capability

For large-scale or inaccessible landfill sites, Flamblocker deploys a 400 kg heavy-lift drone system.

This enables:

• Rapid aerial application over large fire zones

• Access to unstable or hazardous terrain

• Precise targeting of hotspots from above

• Reduced risk exposure for firefighting personnel

The drone significantly enhances speed, safety, and effectiveness in large landfill incidents.

Key Advantages of CF7 in Landfill Applications

• Fast extinguishment of both visible and hidden fire sources

• Deep penetration into compacted waste layers

• Minimal water usage, reducing runoff and contamination risks

• Prevention of re-ignition through lasting cooling and inhibition

• Reduced operational time and cost

• Lower environmental impact compared to conventional methods

Operational Efficiency & Safety

Using CF7 significantly improves operational control during landfill fire incidents:

• Fewer resources required over time (reduction of required water volume and reduction of deployment hours of operational crew

• Reduced exposure of personnel to toxic gases

• Faster stabilization of the site

• Improved predictability of extinguishing results

This makes CF7 not only an effective extinguishing agent but also a strategic tool for safer and more efficient incident management.

Typical Use Cases

• Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill fires

• Industrial waste disposal sites

• Recycling and waste processing facilities

• Legacy landfill hotspots and subsurface fires

Conclusion