– The fire is being extinguished. There are 38 teams working on site – 121 rescuers – Brigadier Aneta Gołębiowska, press officer of the Silesian Fire Brigade, told tvn24.pl on Saturday around 9 a.m. She noted that the number of firefighters participating in the operation changes because they are replaced. – We constantly monitor the air condition and secure the watercourse – she added. This concerns the nearby Brynica River, which – according to the mayor of nearby Czeladź – has been polluted with chemicals.
We received the video and photos from the fire on Kontakt24.
Firefighters pour water over the fire area.
Extinguishing a landfill fire in Siemianowice Śląskie
Two firefighters injured
On Friday evening, the spokesman of the Siemianowice fire brigade, Captain Sebastian Karpiński, informed that two firefighters were injured during the operations. Commander Legierski reported that the firefighters fainted – one of them was taken to hospital, and the other received help on the spot.
On Saturday morning, the Ministry of Climate and Environment informed about the ongoing meeting of the Provincial Crisis Management Staff in Siemianowice Śląskie. Deputy Minister of Climate Anita Sowińska takes part in it.
39 fire brigades were on site
Read also: Explosion and fireball over a burning landfill with a barrel in it
– High temperature causes the containers to leak and then explosions occur – explained Captain Karpiński.
Spokesman of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Siemianowice Śląskie, Capt. Sebastian KarpińskiTVN24
Fire at a landfill in SilesiaPSP
Clouds of black smoke over SilesiaKontakt 24/ pinoy
The provincial commander of the State Fire Service in Katowice, senior brigadier Wojciech Kruczek, announced on Friday that the fire covered an area of over five thousand square meters. In the afternoon, firefighters managed to get it under control and gradually reduce its area.
Additional specialized detection vehicles (to measure air quality) from the Opole and Lesser Poland Voivodeships were sent to the site, among others, to monitor the air condition in Siemianowice Śląskie and neighboring cities.
As the commander pointed out, it is not entirely known what funds were collected at the landfill. Some of them burned very intensely and were more difficult to extinguish, and sometimes there were explosions.
RCB alert for residents of the area
The Government Security Center announced an alert and recommends closing windows and not leaving home. The alert applies to residents of: Siemianowice Śląskie, Katowice, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Sosnowiec, Mysłowice and Będzin poviat. On Friday afternoon, the alert was extended to include Jaworzno, Ruda Śląska and Zabrze.
– Fire smoke is always dangerous. We recommend that if possible, do not leave your apartments, close the windows tightly and stay in these rooms, because due to the possibility of changing weather conditions, it is known that the fire smoke can change its direction and it is always dangerous – appealed on Friday the spokesman of the Municipal Police. PSP in Siemianowice Śląskie, captain Sebastian Karpiński.
Spokesman of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Siemianowice Śląskie, Capt. Sebastian KarpińskiTVN24
After the firefighters have finished, prosecutors will enter the area
For now, it is not known how long the fire extinguishing operation will last, but it is already known that after its completion, the prosecutor’s office will begin activities at the scene of the incident. – Immediately after the fire extinguishing operation is completed, prosecutors from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Siemianowice Śląskie with experts will go to the site and conduct procedural activities and inspections – said Aleksander Duda, spokesman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice, in an interview with tvn24.pl.
Thousands of tons of waste. “There will be hundreds of such situations throughout Poland”
According to the city hall, solvents and plastic, among others, were stored in barrels and other containers.
The mayor of Siemianowice Śląskie, Rafał Piech, told journalists that after measuring the composition of the atmosphere, local authorities received information that there was no threat to residents.
CIEP analyzes air quality in the Silesian Voivodeship
The Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection informed that employees from the Provincial Inspectorate of Environmental Protection in Katowice and the Central Research Laboratory of the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection are at the fire site.
“By the decision of the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection, specialized equipment was sent to the site. It is a mobile measurement ambulance, whose task is now to monitor air pollution around the fire site on an ongoing basis. In addition, the Department of Environmental Monitoring of the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection was ordered to analyze the air quality at measuring stations throughout the Silesian Voivodeship,” the inspectorate said.
The landfill initially operated legally
“The Provincial Inspectorate of Environmental Protection in Katowice is in ongoing contact with all services working to extinguish the fire and those working on site. Depending on the development of the situation, further actions will be implemented. Minister of Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska talked to the Silesian Voivode Marek Wójcik regarding the fire. “The Ministry is also in constant contact with the crisis team on site,” the Ministry of Environment and Environment said in a statement.
photo-source">Source of main photo: State Fire Service