Some 300 firefighters are now working around the clock to contain a blaze that has raged for over three days at a landfill site in Hlaing Tharyar, just a few miles west of Yangon city.

The 300-acre landfill site caught fire on Saturday afternoon. Initially, 150 firefighters and 24 fire vehicles were deployed to extinguish the flames. As of yesterday, 24 April, the number of firefighters has been doubled.

[related]

The blaze is producing noxious smoke at unprecedented levels and is said to have caused a major air pollution problem in several townships in the outskirts of Yangon including North Okkalapa and North Dagon.

At the time of press, Hlaing Tharyar General Hospital had admitted about 60 patients for conditions related to smoke inhalation.