The smoke is no longer going in the direction of the residential area but went in the direction of the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP),” said the spokesman of the Fire Department Suriname (KBS), Olton Pinas who added that the fire department has received phone calls from patients from the hospital who complained about the smoke. Friday an excavator was deployed at the garbage dump. “We are busy taking measures to get the fire under control. We will try to limit the production of smoke as much as possible to minimize the smoke that reaches the people at the AZP. The fire department is doing everything to get the situation under control. We are asking the people to be patient. Everything will be alright,” said Pinas. The KBS recently revealed that they receive between 200 and 300 calls about grass and garbage fires nationwide on a daily basis. The situation is putting enormous pressure on the fire department that is also dealing with other problems such as a shortage of manpower, safety gear and fire trucks. Citizens keep setting fires to their grass and garbage despite numerous warnings. Pinas explained that grass fires sometimes spread and reach houses which then burn down.