STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Firefighters may be battling a five-alarm brush fire on the West Shore for the next two days, FDNY officials cautioned this evening.

Dozens of the city's Bravest are still working to extinguish the blaze at the former Fresh Kills landfill, which began this morning in a large area of wood compost. Southbound traffic on the West Shore Expressway is stopped between the Muldoon Avenue exit and the Staten Island Expressway, and heavy delays persist along the entire New Jersey-bound lanes of the Staten Island Expressway.

FDNY Commanding Officer Michael Marrone and Roger Sakowich, deputy chief of division, addressed members of the media this evening.

They said the fire began in a large area used by the city Sanitation Department to store wood compost. The area is not capped, and not technically part of the landfill.

While the cause remains under investigation, officials suspect the compost spontaneously combusted deep within a compost pile, and powerful wind gusts fanned the flames.

"It’s similar to a brush fire in that it’s usually an inaccessible area, uneven terrain," said Marrone. "One-quarter mile by one-half mile area of burning material."

Meanwhile commuters who rely on the West Shore should consider alternate routes. The X 22 bus, which runs between Manhattan and Tottenville, uses the West Shore. The MTA issued an alert that stated "Due to a brush fire in the vicinity of the (former Fresh Kills landfill), there are delays on all Staten Island local and express bus service at this time."

Earlier this afternoon, Woodrow resident Frank Morano was on the West Shore heading toward the Outerbridge when his car was "enveloped in fog" between the Arden Avenue and Victory Boulevard exits.

"It was thicker than any fog you've ever seen," he told the Advance in a telephone interview. "The smoke was so thick, you could taste it. It was very significant."

The fire forced the postponement of a major protest planned at the site where the city is considering a waste-to-energy plant.

The city confirmed that it postponed a tour by a prospective builder of the plant for safety reasons. Shortly after that announcement, the plant protesters postponed their event.