Firefighters were called Sunday to the Campbell Mountain Landfill after a pile of yard waste began smouldering.
“It basically started getting hot, starting to compost, and then spontaneously combusted,” said Liisa Bloomfield, an engineer for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, which operates the site.
In July a two hectare fire flared up in the area. Even in the winter, Bloomfield said, it’s not unheard of for compost material to begin burning on its own.
Landfill staff first noticed smoke Saturday night, implemented a fire watch, then at first light Sunday began to spread out the material to snuff out the fire, according to Bloomfield.
Members of the Penticton Fire Department were called to assist.
Bloomfield noted the landfill is closed on Sundays during the winter and the fire didn’t present a risk to other piles or structures at the site.
She said the fire was out by Monday morning, and the material that burned was slated to be chipped.