In the town of Oleksandriya, in the Kirovohrad region, it took almost a week to bring a fire at the local rubbish tip under control. At the height of the blaze, levels of a number of harmful compounds were found to be above normal, and prosecutors have already opened a criminal investigation.
The media outlet "Suspilne" reports on this.
Timeline of the fire
The solid waste landfill caught fire on 23 August, and the blaze was finally brought under control on the 29th. This was announced on 31 August by the mayor of Oleksandriya, Serhiy Kuzmenko, on Facebook.
The emergency services received the call at 07:35. Twenty-three firefighters and five vehicles were dispatched to tackle the fire.
The fire spread across 1,100 m2 — covering both dry grass and rubbish.
Source: Oleksandr Gurzhiy/Suspilne
According to information from the Oleksandriya City Council, the landfill is authorised and has been in operation since 2010. Household waste from the residents of the Oleksandriya and Pryiutiv communities is disposed of here.
Air pollution
As early as 25 August, local residents had been reporting significant smoke. Experts reported that the levels of harmful substances in the air were above the norm.
"Elevated levels of sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde were recorded. Tests were carried out to measure the levels of dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde," said public health doctor Nadiya Operchuk.
Launch of the investigation
The incident led to the initiation of criminal proceedings. These were opened on 25 August under Part 1 of Article 270 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, ‘Breach of fire safety or industrial safety requirements’.
The penalties set out in the article provide for several alternative forms of punishment: a fine of up to 68,340 UAH, community service for a period of up to two years, or restriction or deprivation of liberty for a period of up to three years.
A pre-trial investigation is currently underway. Law enforcement officers plan to carry out a further inspection of the landfill site this week, together with specialists. This is necessary to determine the exact area affected by the fire.
EcoPolitic previously reported on a fire at a landfill site in Kryvyi Rih. The city suffered from the stench for over four days. A landfill site in the Starobohorodchany community in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast was also on fire. Carbon monoxide levels at the epicentre exceeded the norm by more than 10 times.
